336 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



yet been formed. The fruit-body was kej)t moist in a glass dish. 

 Five days after it had been gathered, I took it out of the dish, put 

 it to my ear, and distinctly heard it puff. On the next day, by 

 which time more asci had ripened, it puffed more vigorously and, 

 in so doing, gave out a loud fizzing sound. 



The smallest Discomycetes that I have been able to hear puff 



are Ciliariascutellata, Pyronema 

 confluens, and Ascobolus sterco- 

 rarius. 



A fruit-body of Ciliaria 

 scutellata, about 1 cm. in 

 diameter (c/. Fig. 133, p. 279), 

 was removed from a board and 

 set in a covered dish. Four 

 days later I opened the dish, 

 put the fruit-body to my ear, 

 and distinctly heard the fruit- 

 body puff. 



Some fruit-bodies of Pyro- 

 nema confluens, 1-2 mm. in 

 diameter and more or less con- 

 fluent (c/. Vol. V, Fig. 61, 

 p. 112), were growing on steri- 

 lised soil in a pot covered with 

 a sheet of glass. On removing 

 the glass and putting my ear 

 down to the fruit-bodies, I at 

 once heard them puff vigorously. 

 A considerable number of 

 fruit-bodies of Ascobolus stercorarius each about 2-4 mm. in 

 diameter, had developed on a sterilised horse-dung ball in the 

 laboratory. One afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m., on removing 

 the dung-ball from the culture dish and bringing it close to my 

 ear, I heard the fruit-bodies puff very clearly. 



Urnula geaster is a remarkable Discomycete which grows on 

 roots of dead Elms in woods in the State of Texas, i.e. in a southern 

 region of the United States of America. There, on account of the 



Fig. 170. — Another fruit-body of Urnula 

 Crateriuvi. Collected near Ottawa by 

 W. S. Odell along with the two shown 

 in Fig. 169. Photograj^hed by the 

 Photographic Division of the Geo- 

 logical Survey of Canada. Natural 

 size. 



