﻿94 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EAS1 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  beauty 
  and 
  singularity 
  of 
  its 
  form 
  (PI. 
  1!)). 
  

   The 
  receptacle 
  resembles 
  a 
  spherical 
  network 
  or 
  lattice- 
  

   work 
  of 
  coral, 
  but 
  is 
  of 
  so 
  putrescent 
  a 
  nature 
  that 
  its 
  

   odour 
  materially 
  detracts 
  from 
  its 
  beauty 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   recorded 
  of 
  a 
  botanist 
  who 
  gathered 
  one 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  drying 
  it 
  for 
  his 
  herbarium, 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  compelled 
  by 
  

   the 
  stench 
  to 
  rise 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  and 
  cast 
  the 
  offender 
  

   out 
  at 
  the 
  window. 
  M. 
  Roques 
  relates 
  of 
  its 
  properties 
  

   that 
  a 
  young 
  person 
  having 
  eaten 
  a 
  morsel 
  was 
  seized 
  

   with 
  violent 
  convulsions, 
  lost 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  her 
  speech, 
  

   and 
  ultimately 
  fell 
  into 
  a 
  stupor 
  which 
  lasted 
  forty- 
  

   eight 
  hours 
  : 
  prompt 
  attention 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  her, 
  but 
  it 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  some 
  months 
  before 
  she 
  was 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  cured. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  Stinkhom 
  {Phallus 
  impudicus) 
  has 
  an 
  

   equally 
  abominable 
  odour, 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  

   alluded,* 
  with 
  nothing 
  of 
  beauty 
  to 
  recommend 
  it, 
  and 
  

   although 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  no 
  one 
  would 
  think 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  meal. 
  

  

  PUFF-BALL 
  FUNGI. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  orders 
  just 
  noticed, 
  the 
  

   hyrncnium 
  neither 
  melts 
  nor 
  becomes 
  dusty 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   last 
  it 
  melts, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  order 
  it 
  dries 
  into 
  

   a 
  dusty 
  mass 
  of 
  threads 
  and 
  spores. 
  From 
  the 
  remote 
  

   resemblance 
  which 
  this 
  mass 
  sometimes 
  bears 
  to 
  a 
  lock 
  

   of 
  soft 
  brown 
  wool, 
  the 
  order 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  Tric/to- 
  

   gastr>g 
  (thrix, 
  (Jr., 
  wool 
  or 
  hair). 
  The 
  most 
  pictu- 
  

  

  * 
  Kide 
  p. 
  10. 
  

  

  