THE SOUND MADE BY FUNGUS GUNS 343 



fruit-body puffed audibly for 4- 5 minutes and another for 9 minutes. 

 The puffing is always strongest during the first few seconds and 

 then gradually becomes feebler and feebler until it ceases to be 

 heard. The fruit-body which puffed for 9 minutes was hstened 

 to by myself and Miss I. Mounce. We passed the fruit-body from 

 one to the other at intervals, and we agreed in our observations as 

 to the gradual dying away of the sound of the puffing and as to the 

 approximate length of time during which it was audible. 



On October 9, I revisited Rabbit Lake and found some more 

 Rhizina inflata growing about the roots of the dead Pine trees. 

 In one place several fruit-bodies had united laterally and had 

 formed an irregular mass covering about 25 square inches of ground. 

 The day was remarkably warm for the time of the year (70°-80° F.) 

 and the sun had been shining directly upon the fruit-bodies for 

 at least two hours. I broke off a small piece of the outer part of 

 the fungus-mass. Thereupon, the untouched but slightly shaken 

 remaining part of the fungus-mass puffed vigorously, and the cloud 

 of spores floated away in the sunlight. A short time thereafter 

 I stretched myself at full length upon the ground and jolaced an ear 

 against the upper surface of the fungus-mass, thereby touching it ; 

 and I thought I heard the fungus-mass puff for at least two seconds ; 

 but, unfortunately, the wind was sighing in some trees not very 

 far off so that conditions were not so still as were desirable, and 

 there was no opportunity of repeating the observation. However, 

 I have no doubt, from the observations made in the open with my 

 eyes and ears, as just recorded, that not merely visible but also 

 audible puffing sometimes takes place in the fruit-bodies of Rhizina 

 injiata under natural conditions. 



I have but little doubt that, by putting the fruit-bodies close to 

 one's ear, one could hear the sound of spore-chscharge of most, or 

 perhaps all, of the Discomycetes which puff strongly. My method for 

 making explosions of asci audible is as simple as that of Columbus for 

 making an egg stand on end ; and, now that it has been described, it is 

 probable that the fact that ascus-guns, when firing together as huge 

 batteries, produce an audible sound will soon be generally confirmed. 



Type V : Empusa and Entomophthora, Uredineae and 

 Hymenomycetes. — Single conidia, together with conidiophore-sap, 



