LYCOPERDON PIRIFORME IN TASMANIA. 



Mr. George K. Hinsby, who resides on the west coast of Tasmania, 

 is a very fortunate man, ideologically speaking. He resides in a 

 section where it is too wet to gather fungi. He writes me that it 

 rains so often that he rarely gets a chance to go to the "bush," and 

 that the rainfall is from nine to twelve feet per annum. What a 

 harvest of fungi there must be in such a locality. If it is ever our 

 good fortune to go to Australasia we will direct our footsteps imme- 

 diately to Air. Hinsby 's house. And his letter may have some influence 

 in taking us some day, as we have on two occasions been within a few 

 days' steamer ride of Australasia and refrained from going on. as 

 our impression was that the greater part of the country was too dry 



to find fungi unless we hap- 



|^^^ pened to strike a rainy season. 



..: ""-.': . Mr. Hinsby sends Lyco- 



m& *> 3^ perdon piriforme ( Fig. 



B| H ^^HJ^^ 'SO- a subglobose form, 



' <B the same as we have often 



fBSf collected at Cincinnati. There 



~^M is one slight difference, the 



Hj HI spores are smaller, averaging 



about 3 mic., and they rarely 



measure less than 4 mic. iifl 

 specimens from Europe or 



Fig 151. 



America. 



These are the first specimens we have ever seen of Lycoperdon 

 piriforme from Australasia (Cfr. Lye. of Aus., p. 32), but Mr. Hinsby 

 writes me that he "found an acre of them and could have collected it 

 by the bushel." It illustrates how little relatively is known of what 

 species occur in Australasia. We hope Mr. Hinsby will not be back- 

 ward in sharing with us some of the harvest of other species that must 

 occur in such a favored locality. 



Fig. 152. 



BROOMEIA CONGREGATA. 



When we considered this plant on page 

 193, we expressed the hope that some one 

 would favor us with a specimen for our 

 museum. Our wish has at last been grati- 

 fied. Dr. Kurt Dinter, of German S. W. 

 Africa, has just sent us a small, but nice 

 specimen (Fig. 152). Broomeia 

 gata is an exception to most puff balls, 

 distribution is relatively local. It is known 

 only from Southern Africa. Our best thanks 

 are due to Dr. Dinter for this specimen. 



