PUFFING IN THE DISCOMYCETES 237 



fruit-bodies found by me at Winnipeg some of the asci (Fig. 119, 

 p. 245) just exceeded 600 [jl in length. In these very large asci are 

 contained very large spores, so large indeed that they were regarded 

 by Fuckel ^ as the largest spores in all the Pezizae. The size of the 

 spores has been recorded : by Fuckel ^ as 52 x 20 [x ; by Karsten ^ 

 as 36-58 (mostly 42-48) x 15-17 [jl ; and by Rehm * (Finnish and 

 German specimens) as 36-40 x 15-17 [x. The size of the spores in 

 Canadian fruit-bodies, as measured by myself, was found to agree 

 with that given for European fruit-bodies by Karsten and Rehm. 

 While the spores of S. protracta are very large for Pezizae, yet they 

 are smaller than the spores of a few other Discomycetes, e.g. Ascobolus 

 immersus in which the spores (Vol. I, Fig. 82, p. 254), exclusive 

 of their broad gelatinous investment, measure 55-65 x 35-45 [z, 

 and Ptychoverpa bohemica in which the spores measure 60-80 X 

 17-22 [JL ^ The large size of the asci and spores in Sarcoscypha jJro- 

 tracta was a factor in making this fungus favourable material for my 

 investigation on the phenomenon of puffing. 



Fruit-bodies of Sarcoscypha protracta (Fig. 115) come up singly 

 or in clusters of two to eleven in young Poplar bush {Populus tremu- 

 loides) at River Heights, a suburb of Winnipeg, in the last weeks of 

 April and the first weeks of May ; and they were first found there as 

 follows. One day near the end of April, 1925, when the winter's 

 snow had just melted but before there were any leaves on the trees, 

 Charles aged eleven and Dennis aged eight, sons of my former col- 

 league. Dr. C. H. O'Donoghue, were roaming the bush when their 

 eyes were attracted by the beautiful scarlet apothecia standing up 

 in little groups amid the leaf -mould. They very naturally took 

 pleasure in gathering these firstlings of the spring and in taking 

 them home to their parents. Dr. O'Donoghue kindly brought me 

 some of the booty. Then, on April 30, Dr. O'Donoghue, his two 

 sons as pioneers, and I visited the Poplar woods, and together we 

 found some hundreds of fruit-bodies scattered here and there 

 in the leaf-mould under the trees. On this occasion and 



1 L. Fuckel, Symbolae Mycologicae. Brifrrige znr Kennlni-ss der rheinischen Pilze, 

 Wiesbaden, 1869-70, p. 331. 



2 Ibid. ^ P. A. Karsten, loc. cil., p. 44. 

 * H. Rehm, loc. cit., p. 1073. ^ Ibid., p. 1200. 



