222 



FAMILY II. GASTEROMYCETES. 



ORDER IX. TRICHOGASTRES. 



Peridium single or double. Hymenium at length drying up into a dusty 

 mass of threads and spores. 



Genus: Lycopebdon. 



Peridium membranaceous, vanishing above or becoming flaccid. Bark adnate, 



subpcrsistent, breaking up into scales or warts. Capillitium adnate to 



the peridium and to the sterile base. 



LYCOPEBDON GIGANTEUM-^atscft. 



GIANT PUFF-BALL, OR VEGETABLE OMELETTE. 



BOTANICAL CHAEACTIES. 



Peridium very white above and obtuse, crackiDg into areoe, evanescent, 

 very widely open ; bark floccose, rather distinct ; capillitium vanishing, together 

 with the dingy olive spores. 



The soft smooth surface, pure white colour, and large size of this Puff- 

 ball, readily distinguish it from every other. Its surface closely resembles 

 white kid leather. It may be gathered of any size from an ordinary apple 

 to a Dunstable lace-pillow, but whatever the size may be, when the flesh is deli- 

 cately snow-white in colour and firm in structure it is in the best edible condition. 



As the Puff-ball ripens it becomes faintly tinged with yellow, and grows 

 softer in structure. It must then be rejected without hesitation. 



The Giant Puff-ball is by no means rare in Herefordshire, though not so 

 frequently found as most of the other kinds of Puff-ball. It grows in low 

 meadows or rich fold-yard orchards, and the richer the ground the larger it 

 becomes. It is usually seen singly or in soattered groups, but occasionally it forms 

 a large segment of a magnificent ring from 30 to 50 feet in diameter. Wherever 

 it grows it is much too conspicuous to escape observation, and of course is made 

 a football by the farm boys. It must frequently be kicked into the river, for 

 they are often to be seen in autumn floating down the stream. 



The representation given is extremely small being necessarily limited by 

 the size of the page. It is not too much to regard it as usually from four to 

 ten times as large as this picture. It is very difficult also to represent the smooth 

 white ball it forms, as if covered with fine white kid leather. Its rapidity of 

 growth is meant to be shown by the way in which it has pressed down the 

 flowering stalk of a small and late blossom of the Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris, 

 which is also drawn with it. 



