68 MYCOLOGY 



eaten by rodents attracted by the strong smell that they possess and 

 probably the mammal is instrumental in the spread of the spores. 



Many of the coprophilous fungi have spores which pass through the 

 alimentary canals of different animals without being destroyed and 

 germinating in the dung, or manure from such animals, they propagate 

 the species. Pilobolus crystallinus is one of them. The sporangia, which 

 are shot off from the sporangiophore, adhere to blades of grass, which 

 are eaten by horses, and later the fungus makes its appearance on horse 

 manure. The spores have passed through the horse apparently unaf- 

 fected and more readily germinable. Man with his agricultural imple- 

 ments is concerned with the spread of fungous spores. Giissow states 

 that a threshing machine, which has been used for threshing smutted 

 wheat, is infested so fully with spores that any grain subsequently 

 threshed, unless the machine is sterilized properly after use, will 

 become liable to infection. 



