in their appearance, arid fo little liable to vary, that, 
when difcovered, the fpecies can fcarce bemiflaken. 
Among the Fungi which are thus remarkable may 
well be ranked the Lycoperdon fornicatum, or Tur¬ 
ret Puff-Ball. This moft curious plant grows prin¬ 
cipally on dry banks, where the foil is fomewhat 
loofe and fine. It is much lefs common than the 
other fpecies of Lycoperdon, and maybe confidered 
as one of the plantas rariores of this kingdom. At 
its firft appearance above ground, and fo long as it 
continues in a growing ftate, it is of a globular or 
flightly oval form, and of the lizeof a fmall apple ; 
and confifts of a central ball, covered with a flight 
volva, and enveloped by two concentric coats, of 
Avhich the exterior is fomewhat roughifh on the fur- 
face; and between the two coats is contained a fort 
of mucilage or jelly. It is no fooner however ar¬ 
rived at its full growth, than, as if by an effect of 
magic, the whole appearance of the plant is entirely 
changed, and there fprings up, as it were a little 
temple, compofed of four equidifiant pillars, unit¬ 
ing at the top, and fupporting a globular head, or 
ball which terminates the cupola. The caufe of 
this lingular alteration is eafily underftood. When 
arrived at its full growth, the coats burft fuddenly 
open ; the interior one protruding itfelf upwards by 
its natural elafticity, becomes entirely inverted, and 
fplits into four fegments, which cohere by their tips 
to the correfponding ones of the outward coat: by 
this means the central ball isexpofed, in the elevated 
ftate reprefented in the figure ; the feeds at the fame 
time exploding from the orifice in the form of a fine 
dull. 
