We find a sort of irregular, rugged, purse-like object, varying in size from the largeness of a pea to that of a cherry.

The exterior is reddish, covered with fine warts, having an appearance not unlike shagreen; the interior, which has no communication with the exterior, is smooth and white.

The pores, ovoidal and diaphanous, are contained, in groups of eight, in long capsules.
From these characteristics we recognise an underground cryptogam, known to the botanists as _Hydnocystis arenaria_, and a relation of the truffle.
This discovery begins to throw a light on the habits of the Bolboceras and the cause of its burrows, so frequently renewed.

In the calm of the twilight the little truffle-hunter goes abroad, chirping softly to encourage itself.

It explores the soil, and interrogates it as to its contents, exactly as does the truffle-gatherer's dog.