WOODS AND FORESTS. 



311 



also burrow through it, and contribute to its decay ; but 

 it is in its tenacity, and in its resistance to the agents 

 of destruction, that it is most remarkable. 



Fig. 39. — The Wood-Carpet or Wood-Floor. The ground though under 

 trees is wholly covered by wood-sorrel leaves, mosses, ferns, and occasional 

 grasses. Photographed from above. 



An interesting case of a special felling fungus can be 

 noticed in almost any wood, where the withered and 

 naked stalks of Campion, Hyacinth, and Woundwort, 

 remain erect after the decay of their leaves. These 

 peduncles often remain standing for a considerable time, 

 so as to ensure a gradual scattering of the fruits, or 

 seeds. The felling of these dry stalks is performed by 

 a special fungus, whose little black fruits, like minute 

 glossy-black pin-heads, may be found at the base, 

 surrounded by a discoloured and decayed area which 

 their mycelium has destroyed. These are chiefly 



