220 LIVE STORIES OF PLANTS 
the “shaggy mane,” or “ horse-tail.” These are good 
to eat before they turn to ink. | 

Fic. 270. The shaggy mane, or horse- 
tail mushroom. Also an ink mush- 
room. 
round. You have heard of the 
Puffballs and earth stars. 
Did you ever see puffballs, 
and pinch one to see the cloud 
of dust which flies out? Some 
people call them “ devil’s snuff- 
box.” They grow from spawn 
in the ground and in rotten 
wood too. The cloud of dust 
is full of spores, which start 
more spawn to make more 
puffballs, and so the life story 
keeps spinning round and 

starfish ; did you ever hear of rd eae 
the star fungus or star mush- eS - 
room? We call it earth star, a a ee 7 
pretty name, because it is shaped | we oo 
like a star and grows on the se 
ground. It is a near relative 
of the putfball. 
Some will tell you that such 
interesting plants as the ferns, 
mosses, mushrooms, 
halls are eryptogams. 
and putt- 

This word . - 
Fig. 271. The puffball, or devil’s 
means “hidden reproduction” leh te 
