NOTE 138. Hydnum suaveolens, from Geo. E. Morris, Waltham, Mass. This speci- 

 men corresponds to the Swedish plant, as I have collected it in Sweden. It is quite 

 close, but, I believe, different irom the usual American collection (cfr. Note 69), wnich 

 we call caeruleum (which is Peck's cyaneotinctus). 



NOTE 139. Polyporus zonalis, sent in by Mr. L. O. Overholts, St. Louis, Mo. Tem- 

 perate region form. So named by Bresadola, and, I t.iink (in substance), correct. The 

 pores, spores, and pore color are same as the tropical form, but the surface ox pileus 

 is quite different. Polyporus zonalis figures in our records only as a tropical p'ant and 

 the finding of a temperate reg.on form is a matter of interest. The form that Mr. Over- 

 holts sends does not have the strong zones of Polyporus zonalis (typical of the tropics). It 

 is what Ltveiile called Polyporus rugulosus. 



NOTE 140. The odor of Femes graveolens. "In September of this year I found 

 this plant, a fine lot, growing on a dead but erect stump of a sugar maple tree. The 

 plant had no other than a slight fungus odor, and they were in growing condition. When 

 my father saw the specimens, he remarked the p!ant was sweet knot, and that his 

 father used to collect it and carry it home and place it in the living room, w.iere it soon 

 scented the whole room. When I told him that these specimens had no odor, he ap- 

 peared to think that the plant was not old enough for that." L. O. Overholts. 



NOTE 141. Polyporus porphyritis, from Rev. J. Rick, S. J., Lageada, Brazil. This, 

 which seems to ma, the only American representative that we have of the section 

 "Microporus," is thicker and has larger pores than those of the Eastern species. 



NOTE 142. Craterellus pistillaris, from Mrs. Susan Tucker, Cheney, Washington. 

 Undoubtedly a form of Clavaria pistillaria, as stated in Note 56, and this collection is 

 the first strongly differentiated form we have seen. It was this form that Peck mis- 

 determined as Cantharellus clavatus (cfr. Note 56). This is quite a different plant from 

 Cantharellus clavatus. 



NOTE 143. Fomcs pusillus, from A. Yasuda, Sendai, Japan. Unguliform, 1 to 1% 

 cm. in diameter. Surface with a brown, smooth crust. Context cinnamon brown. Pores 

 very minute. Spores globose, hyaline, 6-7 mic. Setae none. Specimen (No. 185) from 

 A. Yasuda, Japan, growing on stems of Zelkowa acuminata. This little Femes is quite 

 close to Fomss jasminus, found on the Jasmine in Europe, and has similar microscopic 

 characters. It is much larger, with a smooth crust and different habits of growth. The 

 sporss of Femes jasminus are slightly colored and much smaller. 



NOTE 144. Polystictus Sequoiae, from Mr. J. R. Weir, Priest River, Idaho. This 

 very peculiar species has been named three times. First, it reached Ellis from Macoun, 

 who namsd it Polystictus cuneatus, ' but never published it. Murrill published it under 

 Ellis' name. Then Copeland collected it and published it as Trametes Sequoiae, a good 

 name for it, as it seems to only grow on the Sequoiae and allied trees. Recant'y Murrill 

 on his Western trip collected it and discovered that it was a new species, and called it 

 Polystietus Washingtonensis. It is a very peculiar thing. Pure white when fresh, but 

 it discolors when old. Large pores. Context so soft and spongy that it can be pressed 

 into a wad like a piece of elder pith. It does seem a thing so marked and peculiar 

 should be recognized without the necessity of three different names in two different 

 genera in a half-dozen years. Mr. Weir finds it abundant on Thuja plicata. 



NOTE 145. Professor McGinty has sent us a clipping from the American Boy, for 

 March, 1913, taken from the "Popular Science Department," under the heading, "Nature 

 Puzzles and Their Answers." We reproduce it exactly as written with the exception of 

 the cut, which is a little figure of Geaster hygrometricus. We did not know Professor 

 McGinty was at the head of this department, but it reads very much like his work. 



THE AMERICAN BOY. 



POPULAR SCIENCE DEPARTMENT 



A Department of Interest to Young and Old 



Edited and Illustrated by Professor A. Hyatt Verrill 

 Nature Puzzles and Their Answers 



Earth Star 



Robt. Ashburn : The* very perfect and interesting fungus arrived safely, and your 

 drawing and description are so good that I am publishing them just as they are. Rob- 

 ert says, "It lives for three years, and will digest leaves and worms when they get in 

 the 'clinchers' or points. It has a puff-ball in the center, and when dry the points close 

 up and throw the spores out. From these spores grow the young. When the ground is 

 wet the points expand, and often it rolls over, so it is constantly changing its location. 

 It is found mainly in moist spots under boards, where the dampness is retained." 



These "Earth Stars" are a species of fungus belonging to the puff-ball group and 

 the genus Zeaster. Many species are found on dry and barren sand plains, or on rocky 

 hillsides, while others are found beneath logs, etc. Robert's statement that they 

 will digest worms is surprising, as' few fungi are carnivorous, and I have never before 

 heard this trait attributed to the earth stars. 



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