of American agarics is much needed. The only man in America, I 

 think, who has the practical field knowledge to write a book of much 

 service, is Professor Peck, but he is so busy that he does not find time. 

 The following plates of Miss Marshall's book are very fine and 

 are correctly named: Lycoperdon piriforme, Calvatia craniiformis, 

 Bovistella Ohiensis, Geaster minimus, Gcaster hygrometricns. The 

 following plates are better than the names: Calostoma Ravenelii 

 (= Mitremyces), Calostoma lutescens (= Mitremyces), Scleroderma 

 vulgare (= Scleroderma aurantium), Calvatia cyathiformis ( Cal- 

 vatia lilacina). The figure of the latter is more globose than is char- 

 acteristic of the species as it generally occurs. Calostoma cinnabarinum 

 (= Mitremyces) does not appear to me as good as those of the other 

 two species, both of which are very fine and the best figures I know 

 of them. Lycoperdon subincarnatum is good, but larger specimens 

 than usual. The two following are misdetermined and misnamed : Cy- 

 athus vernicosus is a characteristic figure of Cyathus stercoreus. 

 Mutinus caninus is Mutinus Ravenelii, quite different from Mutinus 

 caninus of Europe. 



AN UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICAN LY- 

 COPERDON. 



It seems superfluous to us to put the above head in the singular 

 number. All puff balls of South America are practically unknown 

 in Europe, for while many species have been named and described, 

 there is no way to even guess with any degree of certainty what they 

 really are. Not a great many specimens have reached us from South 

 America, but such as have are practically all old and well-know^ 

 plants of the remainder of the world, and there is nothing to indicate 

 that the species of South America are not in the main the same as 

 those of other parts of the world. . The following species, howe\ \-r. 

 impresses me as being very different from all others as far as I km >\v. 

 When I first saw it I thought it was a subglobose form of Lycopcnlon 

 fuscum.f The same cortex, color, appearance, and with a decidedly- 

 purple cast of the gleba. All Lycoperdons that I have seen that have 

 distinctly purple gleba have large, rough spores mixed with fallen 

 pedicels. (Cfr. Myc. Notes, p. 221.) We were greatly surprised in 

 consequence to find that under the microscope these plants have 

 small, smooth spores and no trace of pedicels. 



LYCOPERDON SEPTIMUM (Fig. 142). Peridium subglo- 

 bose, with a strong root, dark in color. Cortex minute, stellate, dark, 

 nodular spines (Fig. 143 enlarged). Sterile base none. Gleba umber- 

 purple. Capillitium deeply colored. Spores globose, smooth, 4-5 mic.,. 



i- i, ^ V y e ha11 continue to use the name Lycoperdon fuscum in the sense that we have pub- 

 lished it, Myc Notes, p. 210, notwithstanding that a chance discovery since of an authentic 

 specimen from the original user of the name has shown that his was quite a different plant. 



306 



