io6 



THE WOODLANDS. 



poisonous alkaloids of belladonna and other plants of 

 the nightshade family, and vice versa. 



Hunting through the woods in search of the red 

 agaric just named it is exceedingly probable that 

 another fungus will make its presence known by its 

 odourlong before it can anywhere be seen. This is 

 well named the Stinkhorn, 1 for its strong, peculiar, and 

 offensive odour extends for some distance, twenty 

 yards at least, from the object. This fungus grows ta 

 six or eight inches in height, and an inch or more in 

 thickness, of an ivory whiteness, surmounted by a 

 close conical cap of a dirty olive colour, or more ac- 

 curately speaking, covered at the top with a dirty olive,, 

 slimy mass, attractive to flies, but with the odour of 

 putrid flesh ; when this falls away the 

 cap is white like the stem, which latter 

 is punctured throughout its whole length 

 with little holes like a sponge, and is in 

 itself quite devoid of odour. This is also 

 a remarkable fungus ; when first breaking 

 through the ground it has just the appear- 

 ance and size of a hen's egg, the upper 

 end is fractured by the growing stem, 

 which bursts through and grows to its 

 full height during a single night, and 

 soon fills the surrounding air with its 

 fetid perfume. Occasionally this unwel- 

 come visitor makes its appearance in 

 highly - cultivated gardens, coming up 

 near the same spot year by year. Like 

 all very strong odours this is unpleasant 

 1 Phallus impudicus. 



STINKHORN 



(reduced). 



