Genus Sclcroderma 



ORDER NIDULARIALES 



(SEE PLATE FACING PAGE 135) 



The members of this order, Nidulariales, or bird's-nest fungi, 

 are curious fungi of small size. They resemble, when mature, tiny 

 birds' nests containing eggs, as the pouch in which the spores are 

 developed opens at the top to form a nest or bowl or trumpet, and 

 the globular cases in which the spores are contained have strong 

 walls, and remain in the open pouch like eggs in a nest. 



One genus of the order, Sphcerobolus, has two walls or layers 

 to its nest and but one spore case or "egg." This "egg" is 

 jelly-like, and is forcibly thrown from the nest when the spores in 

 it are mature. While a part of this action is due to the mechan- 

 ical working of the teeth, it is thought that underneath the spore 

 case gases are formed which expand, and so help force out the 

 "egg." 



The other genera have but one wall to their nests. The 

 genus Nidularia has ragged edges, the genus Cyathus is trumpet- 

 shaped, and the genus Crucibulum is bowl-shaped. 



ORDER SCLERODERMATALES 



The puffballs of the order Sclerodermatales have the rind 

 or peridium thick. The spores remain in the peridium until 

 maturity, when they escape from an irregular opening in the 

 rind. The species are not numerous, but some are abundant and 

 widely distributed. 



GENUS SCLERODERMA 



The species of the genus Scleroderma, or thick-skinned puff- 

 balls, represent a transition from the subterranean forms to those 

 which emerge from the ground and have a definite opening from 

 which they eject their spores. To illustrate : there is one group 

 (Hymenogastrales) in which the species remain in the ground, 



Nld-u-la'-rf-a'-les N*d-u-la'-rf-a Cru-9fb'-ii-ltim 

 Sphe-r6b'-a-liis gy'-a-thtis SclSr'-S-dSr'-ma-ta'-les 



133 



