294 Transactions British Mycological Society. 



UPON THE AUDIBILITY OF SPORE DIS- 

 CHARGE IN HELVELLA ELASTICA (BULL.). 



By R. E. Stone, Ph.D. 



(Department of Botany, Ontario Agricultural College.) 



The forcible discharge of spores has been observed in a great 

 many Ascomycetes. The spore-discharging organs or asci of 

 these fungi are very minute. Hence it is that the sound which 

 they emit when they explode has been heard only in the case 

 of a few species with large fruit-bodies. 



Buller* has confirmed the observations of Grove that the 

 discharge of the sporangium in Pilobolus is accompanied by a 

 distinct sound. Dt Baryj reports hearing a hissing sound 

 accompanying the pufhng of Peziza acetabulum and Helvetia 

 crispa, thus substantiating the earlier report of Desmazieres. 

 In this connection some observations of my own on the audi- 

 bility of spore discharge in Helvetia elastica may prove of interest. 



In June, 1915,, the Ascomycete Helvetia elastica was very 

 abundant in the neighbourhood of the Agricultural College at 

 Guelph, Ontario. On June 21 I collected many fruit-bodies of 

 this fungus and brought them into the laboratory where I left 

 them in a closed basket. The next day, while I was identifying 

 species in the laboratory, my attention was attracted by an 

 intermittent hissing sound apparently coming from the direction 

 of the basket containing the fungi. The basket was five to six 

 feet away from me. The room was \'ery quiet and the sound was 

 quite distinct. My curiosity having been aroused, I took the 

 trouble to locate the source of the sound. All sources were soon 

 eliminated except the basket containing the Helvella. Upon 

 lifting the cover of the basket I clearly saw a spore-puff and at 

 the same time heard a distinct hiss, louder than any I had heard 

 before. In the course of half an hour I observed at least six puffs ; 

 and each puff was accompanied by a distinct hiss. The more 

 pronounced the puff, the more audible, the more distinct, and 

 the more prolonged were the accompanying hissing sounds. 



The above observations have convinced me that at least for 

 some of the larger Ascomycetes there can be no doubt whatever 

 that the discharge of the spores is audible. 



In conclusion I wish to thank Professor Buller for suggesting 

 that I should write this brief communication. 



* A. H. R. Buller, Researches on Fungi. London, 1909, p. 259. 

 t De Bary, Comparative Morphology and Biology of the Fungi, etc. Oxford, 

 1887, p. 92. 



