THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 13 



them for use as "punk" for lighting his fire-crackers on that 

 hohday. A very few species of this group are edible when 

 young, but the majority would only be called so by the small 

 larvae which delight to make tunnels through their substance. 

 Some species of Poly poms grow to be more than a foot across 

 the largest diameter, but others are small or minute. There 

 are about four hundred kinds in America. Many species are 

 found only on certain kinds of trees, but others are not so 

 fastidious and grow on almost any dead wood. One often 

 sees them on the shade trees along city streets, or upon old 

 fruit trees in the garden. 



Another group, whose affinities are with the mushrooms, 

 although they do not look in the least like it, are the fairy 

 clubs (Clavaria). To this group belong many of the branched 

 fleshy coral-like growths found on old stumps and on the earth 

 in woods. They are often very handsome in appearance, in 

 color ranging through white, yellow, brownish, red and purple. 

 The spores are produced at the ends of the branches. All the 

 tender species of Clavaria are edible, but there are many too 

 tough and leathery for food. Dr. Peck writes, "There is no 

 dangerous species in the genus." 



Nearly all the higher fungi are pleasing to the eye, but 

 there are other senses which must be taken into account when 

 approaching some of them. This is especially true of the genus 

 Phallus and its allies. People have been known to search a 

 long time for the dead animal which judging from the odor, 

 they were convinced must be about the premises, only to find 

 at last that they had been passing and repassing the author of 

 all the mischief in this innocent looking specimen of fungus. 

 When located, the discoverer's astonishment and disgust are 

 about equally mingled. Generally the offending specimen is 

 removed and buVied and the householder congratulates him- 

 self upon the end of the trouble, but in a few days, the horrible 

 odor proclaims that another Phallus is born. Since the por- 



