66 Thirty-second Report on the State Museum, 



section and in European specimens of this species, I find them intermingled 

 with short, fragmentary, slender filaments, which look very much as if they 

 were pedicels broken from the spores. I have not been able to find the 

 spores attached terminally to them ; but, in several instances, they appeared 

 to be attached laterally. There also appears to be a minute point or apiculus 

 on the spores, probably the point of attachment ; but this is scarcely worthy 

 of being called a pedicel. 



There are three principal varieties which T have referred to this species. 

 The first is usually one to two inches broad, sessile, or with a very short 

 stem, nearly smooth, being mealy or pruinose, and having a few minute, 

 weak, scattered spinules or scales. Its color is generally whitish, or white 

 slightly clouded with brown. It grows in sandy pastures and cleared lands, 

 and is probably the nearest of the three in its resemblance to the type. 



The second is turbinate or subglobose, and narrowed below into a distinct, 

 though short, stem-like base. It varies in diameter from half an inch to an 

 inch and a half, and is thickly beset with slender bristle-like spinules which 

 are often blackish, and give the plant a decidedly hairy aspect. The largest 

 specimens have the spinules a little stouter, and sometimes stellately united. 

 Such specimens connect this with the next variety. 



The third variety varies from one to two and a half inches in diameter, 

 and is generally furnished with a short stem-like base. Its spines are 

 quite coarse, and often crowded and stellately united. They give it a 

 decidedly rough or echinate appearance, so that at first sight it would be 

 thought a distinct species ; but the spines are easily deciduous, and individ- 

 uals occur in which they are more scattered, and which have a mealy or prui- 

 nose surface, by which characters this variety appears plainly to run into 

 the first I regard the second and third as worthy of a name, and designate 

 and define them as follows : 



Var. hirteUum. Peridium hairy-spinulose with erect or curved sometimes 

 stellately united spinules, which are often of a biackish color. 



Ground and decaying vegetable matter in woods. 



Var. stellare. Peridium echinate or stellately echinate with rather stout 

 easily deciduous spines. 



Ground in woods and bushy places. 



In this species the capillitium and spores are at first greenish-yellow, olive- 

 tinted or brownish ; but when fully mature they are purple-tinted. Some 

 care will, therefore, be necessary, lest the last variety be confused with the 

 Echinate puff-ball, L. echinatu i. This variety was mentioned in the 

 Twenty-second State Cabinet Report, under the name L. cahescens B. & C. 

 The specimens were thus referred by one of the authors of that species ; but 

 when the description of the species was published, the reference was found to 

 be erroneous. The larger, purple-tinted, rough spores forbid such a reference. 



Lycoperdon glabellum Pk. Smooth Puff-ball. 



Plant subglobose or subturbinate, 8 "-18 ' broad, sometimes narrowed 

 below into a stem-like base, yellow or brownish-yellow, furfuraceous with 

 minute nearly uniform persistent warts ; capillitium and spores purplish-brown 

 columella present ; spores rough, .0002'-. 00025' in diameter. 



Ground in pine woods and bushy places. North Greenbush, Albany and 

 Center. Autumn. 



The Smooth puff-ball is not inferior in beauty to any of our species. Its 

 pretty yellow color and soft, smooth appearance readily attract attention. It 



