480 FUNGI. 



other plants or animals for their food. On account of this fact, the fungi 



are often popularly divided into two groups, (1) saprophytes or those 



which feed upon dead matter, and (2) parasites or those which feed upon 

 living animals or plants. 



SAPROPHYTIC FUNGI. 



Saprophytic fungi maj* be found growing on dead leaves, twigs, 

 humus, the dung of animals, and in fact in almost any situation where 

 there is a supply of decaying organic material. While these fungi may 

 often attain a size of more than a foot in diameter, many others are so 

 small that they are never seen by the casual obser\'er and their collection 

 even by the trained expert requires much time and patience. 



The larger forms are often extensively used as articles of food, being 

 highly esteemed on account of their flavor as well as for their nutritive 

 value. But on account of the poisonous properties of many of the species 

 the entire gToup is often looked upon with suspicion by the amateur col- 

 lector. Even the smaller and more inconspicuous forms play an important 

 part in the scheme of nature, being one of the most active agents in bring- 

 ing about the decay of organic matter, without which the surface of the 

 earth would become covered over with the litter of dead animals and plants. 



PARASITIC FUNGI. 



The parasitic fungi are of unusual economic importance because of 

 their relation to the diseases of the higher plants. They may attack the 

 leaves, stem, or almost any part of the living plant, causing a slight 

 retardation in growth or the death of the entire plant. The amount of 

 damage caused each year to cultivated plants by such fungi is enormous. 

 Fungi may also occasionally attack the bodies of living animals, including 

 man, although the number of such cases, except bacterial diseases, are com- 

 l)aratively few. Parasitic fungi are sometimes made use of in combating 

 haiTuful insects. The bacteria of Bermuda have not been studied. 



STRUCTURE AND REPRODUCTION. 



The fungi in the course of their life histories exhibit two distinct 

 phases, the vegetative or growing stage and the reproductive stage. The 

 vegetative stage of most true fungi consists of a mass of minute threads 

 known as mycelium or spawn. The simpler types of fungi consist of little 

 more than a mass of such mycelium. The reproductive stage, however, 

 may show considerable complexity of structure, especially in the higher 

 forms. The reproductive bodies themselves are known as spores and are 

 so minute in size that they are usually invisible to the unaided eye except 

 where they are present in great numbers. Functionally the spores of the 

 fungi correspond to the seeds of the higher plants. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



On account of their minute size the spores of the fungi may be 

 carried great distances by the wind and other agents. While the wind is 

 probably the chief agent in the distribution of the spores, a few species 

 show special adaptation for insect distribution. 



