THE SPHAEROBOLUS GUN 



353 



I ventured to promise him that I would show him Sphaerobolus 

 growing there. Accordingly, in the afternoon of November 14, 

 1923, Dr. Bisby and I visited two pastures (about a quarter of a mile 

 apart) at the Agricultural College and sought for Sphaerobolus on 

 a considerable number of old dung plats. The day was a gloomy 



Fig. 168. — An old cow-dung plat, obtained in a meadow at the Manitoba Agri- 

 cultural College, Winnipeg, November 14, 1923, broken open to show the 

 characteristic mycelium of Sphaerobolus stellatus in its interior. About 

 one-half natural size. 



one and very mild for the time of the year, the winter's frost not 

 having yet set in. A drizzle of rain added to the gloom and failing 

 light brought an early termination to our foray ; but, in the course 

 of an hour and a half, we succeeded in finding fourteen cow-dung 

 plats bearing fruit-bodies of Sphaerobolus stellatus and four cow-dung 

 plats containing the white strands characteristic of the Sphaerobolus 

 mycelium (Figs. 167-169) ; and we also found one horse-dung ball 

 bearing young fruit-bodies. 



VOL. v. 



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