233 
by the Agency of Insects . 
Borborus hamatus , is ‘ found on windows in houses, in marshy 
places, and on putrid substances, as dung-heaps, etc.’ In re^ 
gard to Foetidaria coccinect , Aug. de Saint-Hilaire, who found 
it, says l , c Cette plante a une odeur extremement fetide et est 
sans cesse couverte des memes mouches que Y on a coutume de 
voir dans le pays sur les cadavres et les vegetaux en putre- 
faction.’ Burmeister found the pileus of Simblum sphaero - 
cephalum , Schlecht., covered with a dark violet, semi-fluid mass, 
‘an der die Fliegen eifrig saugen.’ With the very doubtful 
exception of Phallus iosmus , all the above named species are 
foetid 2 . 
There is also indirect evidence of the action of flies in the 
fact that Clathrus cancellatus has been found in a wood grow- 
ing close to the dead body of a dog in advanced decomposi- 
tion 3 , and the Italian botanist Pollini found a specimen of the 
same species growing on a human skull in a tomb 4 . Corda 
also states 5 that Phallus impudicus is common in Zoological 
Gardens and pheasanteries, where excrements are of course 
abundant. 
In the Phalloidei then it can scarcely be doubted that we 
have a group of fungi which have undergone great modificar 
tions so as to become adapted for the dispersion of their 
spores by the agency of insects and especially by those which 
habitually affect putrid substances, and would therefore deposit 
the spores on the most suitable nidus for their growth. It is 
an example of the substitution of the more certain action of 
1 Op. cit., tom. iii., p. 192. 
2 I am informed by Professor Bayley Balfour and Dr. J. M. Macfarlane that 
specimens of Cynophallus caninus , which they found in a wood in Ayrshire last 
summer, were exceedingly attractive to flies, which were ‘ very like the ordinary 
house-fly in size and appearance.’ In these specimens the stalk was yellow, and 
the head bright red. Cynophallus caninus has been hitherto described as ‘ scent- 
less/ but Professor Balfour points out that the odour in the above case ‘was 
quite conspicuous, not so strong as that of Phallus impudicus , but of the same 
character.’ It is highly probable that further observations on fresh specimens 
of other species will reduce the number of c odourless * forms. 
3 Bull, de la Soc. Bot. de France, tom. xx. p. 131. 1873. 
4 Loc. cit. p. 132. 
5 Icon. Fungi, loc. cit. 
R % 
