FUNGI. 277 



intoxication ; and while the bees continue in that state 

 the honey can be taken, and the lives of the honest 

 insects spared for future labour. On the subject of puff- 

 balls, old Gerarde is kind enough to give us his opinion, 

 at the same time introducing us to an ancient use of the 

 plants. " Puff-balls are no way eaten, the powder of 

 them doth bite. In divers parts of England, where 

 people doth dwell farre from neighbours, they carry them 

 kindled with fire, which lasteth lono\" [marine an 

 evening party assembling by the light of glowing puff- 

 balls ; it would rival a gypsy pic-nic in excitement ! 

 Our grandmothers, however, did use dry puff-balls as 

 tinder, and very suitable they seem for natural tinder 

 boxes. 



The pear-shaped puff-ball (L. pyriforme, Pate XIX., 

 Jig. 5) we found about tree stumps in the Sheerwater 

 woods ; it was furnished with a root. 



The Scleroderma group has a double envelope, the 

 outer beset with clothy scales. The common species 

 frequents wood-borders, often growing in clusters ; it is 

 common enough ; our specimens are from Hawkhurst 

 (S. vulgare). The S. bovista T found in Cornwall ; it 

 was larger than the common species {Plate XIX., Jig. 6) 

 and the spores were yellow-olive. The smell was not 

 pleasing, and I was sorely tempted to throw it away, lest 

 it should damage my pretty basket of Cornish flowers. 

 But fungi are scarce in July, and I was unwilling that 

 Cornwall should be unrepresented in my fungus collec- 

 tion ; so I placed my yellow puff-ball beside the red 

 Broom-rape and Cornish heath, and pressed on towards 

 the Lizard Point. 



