PUFF BALL LETTERS. No 2. 
Paris, France; May, 1904 . 
This letter, written at Paris, will be mailed from America as 
soon as \ reach home. I have now spent fourteen months in the mu¬ 
seums of Europe studying the “type specimens” of the “puffballs”, 
and 1 feel as well informed on the subject as it is possible for one to 
be from the scanty, often imperfect, material from which the work has 
been done I believe that the ‘ puff balls” of the world are very little 
known, and consider my fourteen months as only preparatory to a 
better knowledge from material that my correspondents send me. I 
hope to enlist the aid of every man who receives these letters on the 
subject. It is such a simple matter to pick up “puff balls”, and so 
easy to send them, that no one need hesitate on account of the trouble. 
My permanent address is 107 Boulevard St. Michel, Paris, France, 
where all packages will reach me. I shall return to Paris in a few 
months, and hope to find awaiting me a package of puff balls from you. 
I beg to thank the following gentlemen who have kindly favored me 
since my recent letter. 
Rev. Johann Rick, S. J. sends from Brazil an interesting col¬ 
lection. Protubera Maracuja, “Michenera Rompelii, Rick, n. s.” 
and “Geaster violaceus, Rick, n. s.” are all new to me. The latter 
is unique among Geasters being a bright violet color and the only 
species I have ever seen distinguished by a distinctive color. 
“Polysaccum pisocarpium ad lignum” I doubt. It is quite young, and 
the spores hyaline. It is something new I think. Geaster Engler= 
ianus, a species close to saccatus but with a very black endoperidium. 
Geaster saccatus, several small forms. Geaster (I think unnamed) 
with a black, sessile, endoperidium, sulcate mouth and recurved endo¬ 
peridium. It approaches nanus but has no pedicel. It is also close to 
recurved forms of elegans, but in my mind the black endoperidium re¬ 
moves it from elegans which belongs to the reddish series and is usually 
saccate. Lycoperdon epixylon, but growing on manure, same I think 
as Lycoperdon confluens of Guadeloupe. This species with Lycoper- 
don fuligineum and Lycoperdon velutinum which are all closely re¬ 
lated, if not forms of the same species, form a very natural section of 
the genus characterized by the hyaline capillitium, small but very rough 
spores and habits different from other Lycoperdons. Lycoperdon teph- 
rum is a related plant with similar habits but it has smooth spores. 
Bovista bicolor (or perhaps better Lanopila bicolor) which seems to 
be a common species in warm countries. We know it now from India, 
Africa, West Indies, Mexico and Brazil. It is the plant referred to in 
our Letter No. 1 as “ 1 asiosphaera Argentina”, but we feel sure now 
it does not does not belong to the genus Lasiosphaera. It is hard 
usage in the mails and not nature that makes the peridia of the speci¬ 
mens we have received caducous. Lanopila guaranitica (not L 
Argentina as inadvertently printed in Letter No. 1 ), authentic 
specimen in the museum at Paris is the same plant. Also the speci¬ 
men collected by Gaudiehaud in Brazil, 1831 and determined by 
Montague as “Lycoperdon Bovista” is the same plant; also the plant 
from Mexico mentioned 011 page 118 of Mycological Notes and Plate 4 
as “Bovista lateritia” is the same species. “Bovista pannosa”, 
“Bovista tosta” and “Bovista argentea” (the latter as to specimens 
now preserved as representing the type but not the plant described I 
think) are all the same plant. 
