should have any trouble in determining these plants in America. 

 One serious mistake only occurs in this section. The photograph 

 used to illustrate Nidnlaria pisiformis has also (the lower plant) a 

 photograph of Nidula Candida, which should have been cut off as it 

 has no resemblance to Nidularia pisiformis. We might go through 

 the work and pick out other mistakes, but there is to much that is 

 good in the work it would be in poor taste to harp on the little that 

 is bad. 



We congratulate professor Hard on his book, and American my- 

 cology in having such a work. Every man interested in fungi should 

 have a copy, whether he lives in America or Europe. 



HOW SPHAEROBOLUS THROWS ITS 

 PERIDIOLE. 



At the time I wrote my account of Sphaerobolus stellatus I had 

 never closely observed the fresh plant. There has always been a 

 tradition that the plant ejects its peridiole with force. There is no 



Fig 245 (X6). 

 Sphaerobolus stellatus at an early stage. 



trouble in tracing this tradition back two hundred years to Micheli, 

 who pictures a plant ejecting its peridiole like a cannon ball from a 

 mortar. As it is evident that some of our modern pictures have been 

 made up from Micheli, I suspected that the idea was derived from this 

 source. I am glad to be able to say, however, that the essentials 

 are true. 



Sphaerobolus stellatus (which, in my opinion, is the only species 



