Physiology of the Gyropodium coccineum 5? 
velope, like the Phallus foetidus, nearly a quarter of an 
inch in thickness. This immediately bursts, even before 
the whole body of the fitigin! has risen above the ground, 
and the exterior part of it falls upon the soil around the 
fungus in the form of a viscid jelly, and is ere long absorb- 
edintheearth. The inner part of this envelope, however, 
which is of greater consistency than the outer part, still 
covers and conceals for a time the interior organization. 
At length it gradually dissolves, especially about the top, 
and discovers firmly attached to its inner side, a second 
thin covering of the head of the fungus, having its interior 
side of the brightest scarlet colour, and rather rough. A 
specimen dissected in a young state exhibits this envelope, 
covering bad part of the spherical head, with no seam dis- 
cernible in But ere long, it opens at the top and gives 
the Rabu 46 appearance represented at B, beginning to 
separate into numerous divisions, or rays, like the sare 
calyx or petals of acommon flower. Several valves on 
the top of the plant, opening into its head, are thus diselo- 
sed; whose particular costruction will be more exphienly 
described hereafter. A portion of the jelly, often ;'; of an 
inch thick, adheres to these calyx like divisions of the en- 
velope now under consideration; and as the inner part of it 
is very tender, they rarely become more expanded than is 
represented at C, before they begin to coil inwards, and 
king off at the base, merely from their weight, they 
drop to the ground; or, as is more usual, adhere to the 
footstalk, as is shown at D. This footstalk i is wholly com- 
posed of a harder kind of jelly, penetrated nearly to its cen- 
tre by numerous irregular grooves and cavities, appearing 
on dissection, like strings of glue confusedly twisted togeth- 
er, and a softer jelly, in a partially dissolving state, cover 
: eee which causes the falling pieces to adher 
9 
° We have now reached the third and principal aiiveloise 
of the head of the fungus. It consists of a leathery sack, 
nearly spherical, considerably tough, and when n dry, as 
hard as glue. At its toy, are several valves, (usually five te 
eight,) closing against one another with great exactness, 
and opening into the centre of the head. On penetrating 
this third envelope, or sack, we meet with a fourth, ofa yel- 
— colour, ad thin and ie occupying the whole 
IX.—No. I. 
