222 Mycological Bulletin No. 56 [Vol. IV 



"QUOTATION PAGE." 



Quotation. — Notes on Fungi were publislied by Dr. John W. Harsh- 

 berger in the Journal of Mycology, and certain parts are here transcribed: 



"Box Tortoises and Toadstools. — The coinmon box tortoise {Cis- 

 fudo rirgiuica) of our eastern woodlands is extremely fond of a rather 

 frequent toadstool, Russula vircscens Fr. A number of caps of this fun- 

 gus, found in liie wood'? at Primes, Delaware Co., Pa., on August 7, 1901, 

 were gnawed in a rather jagged manner. Later, a tortoise was found 

 immediately in front of a large light green Russula. It stopped work 

 upon the approach of the obser^'er, and although it was watched for some 

 time, it remained perfectlj'- quiet and alert. An inspection of its horny 

 beak, however, revealed torn fragments of the toadstool smeared 

 over the horny surface. I, therefore, succeeded in connecting the tortoise 

 with tlie torn aspect of the fungus. 



"Peziza repanda Wahlenb, in Pennsylvania. — Mcllvaine in his 

 book, 'One Thousand American Fungi' (p. .558), gives the distribution of 

 this fungus, as: New York, Ellis: Minnesota, Johnson; Ohio, Lloyd; 

 Pennsylvania, ixliller It occurs, according to him, on the ground, or on 

 decaying wood. M. C. Cooke (Handbook of British Fungi II, p. 669) 

 mentions it as one of the British funguses occurring on the ground and on 

 stumps. It was discovered by the writer at Sherwood, near Angora, 

 Philadelphia on an old rotten log in very considerable abundance. The 

 specimens collected, some two or three hundred in number, varied in size 

 from the diameter of a ten cent piece to one or two, or three inches 

 across. The individuals were clustered, or disposed singly; some were 

 saucer-.shaped; others deeper and more bowl-shaped. The color was nearly 

 white on the outer surface and a light, yellowish-brown color on the con- 

 cave inner side. 



"Spore Discharge in Peziza badia Pers. — A considerable amount of 

 this ascomycete was found at Crum Creek, Penna., May 20, 1901. When 

 gathered in the hand and held for a moment, a discharge of the spores 

 took place with a puff, like the curling smoke at the muzzle of a dis- 

 charged gun. At intervals of several minutes, the same phenomenon 

 took place until apparently all of the .spores had been set free from the 

 asci. 



"Clitopilus akortivus B. & C. — The statement is made in an authori- 

 tative work on the fungi of North America, that 'the fungus is so named 

 because of the abortive form of it frequently found associated with it.' 

 From this sentence, one would infer, that the normal form is more 

 abundant than the aborted one which is found with it. Nevertheless in the 

 season of 1901, the aborted plants were by far the most abundant in the 

 neighl)orhood of Philadelphia. A search through several woods was re- 

 warded by the collection of many specimens of the rounded, egg-shaped, 

 aborted form and only a few examples of the normal gill-bearing fungus." 

 [John W. Hnrshburger, Jotirnal of Mycology.] 



Another Fly Ac.artc. — The following interesting Note we owe to Supt. 

 D. R. Sumstine, of VVilkinsburg. Pa. : 



"Anwnita r.iuscaria is called the fly agaric because infusions of it are 

 poisonous to flies. It has now however a keen rival fen- this reputation in 

 another species of this same genus. Last summer while drying specimens 

 of Amanita solifaria Bull, a number of flics was attracted to them. After 

 the flies had remained on the plants Un- a short time they fell over appar- 

 ently dead. This continued until thirl v-nine fly mvcophagists had become 

 the victims of some narcotic contained in the mushrooms. The box with 

 flies and plants was then set aside for .future study. After two hours the 

 box was again examined but the flics which nnce were dead were now 

 alive and had departed with no more serious results jxissibly than a severe 

 headache from their rnycological "booze." 



Several experiments were made with nther specimens of the same 

 species and the same results were obtained. U seems that this plant has 

 some property that acts as an irtoxicaut or soporific to llic^. M is reoorted 

 by some writers as edible and by others as poisonous." 1 1 ). R. Sumstine, 

 Journal of Mycology]. 



