Offensive Fungi 



in that he can inclose it in a sealed glass case and work in 

 comfort. The experience of the botanist must be realised to be 

 appreciated. 



An overpowering fetid odour suddenly evident upon the 

 premises has many times filled with consternation the guests at 

 summer resorts, causing among them much speculation, with 

 suggestions of bad sewerage, and carelessness on the part of their 

 host, together with other comments equally disastrous to the 

 reputation of the place. 



The distracted householder searches in vain for a solution of 

 the difficulty, and the odour disappears as mysteriously as it came. 

 If he is one of the initiated, however, he will search until he finds 

 the haunt of the offender, and will destroy all chance of a repeti- 

 tion of the nuisance — for one summer, at least. 



The mischief-maker is a handsome specimen, as its plate 

 shows. The white stem, bearing at its summit a mass of gela- 

 tinous green substance capped with a yellow-white ring, and 

 emitting its intolerable odour, has surely come into existence for a 

 purpose — a purpose soon suggested — as hundreds of flies wing 

 their way hither to sip the semi-fluid mass. 



The botanist tells us that the spores of this plant are mixed 

 in the green fluid, and that they are carried away on the feet and 

 in the bodies of the flies to other places, where new colonies may 

 be started. 



The plant has undoubtedly emerged from the ground for the 

 sole purpose of disseminating its spores, and all its parts have 

 been developed to accomplish this function in the most effectual 

 manner. 



The banquet for the flies is prepared underground, and the 

 table, with its viands all ready, is pushed into the light, while the 

 invitation to the guests is wafted swiftly on the breeze. 



One is curious to learn the mechanism by which so much is 

 accomplished in apparently so short a time, and finds in this 

 instance, as in all others where great things are accomplished 

 v/ith ease, that many forces have been slowly at work to insure 

 everything being in readiness for the success of a final flourish. 

 A search underground shows the mycelial threads to have per- 

 meated the soil for many feet in every direction in search of 

 building material, and a glance at a vertical section of one of the 

 pink eggs which has pushed its way out of the soil will show 



ii8 



