The message
from Stephen Howard contains these words:

Stinkhorn ( Phallus_impudicus ) perhaps?

http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushr...impudicus.html

Not a lot you can do to rid your garden of them - they're there
because the environmental conditions suit them.
They're quite harmless ( if perhaps offensive to the nose ), and
perhaps the best that you can do is simply pull 'em up as and when you
see them.

If they are stinkhorns the 'egg' should be firm and round, only going a
bit flacid prior to the stipe emerging.

When firm, the 'eggs' are said to be good to eat, and the dried stipes
(without the smelly slime from the cap) fetch very high prices in IIRC,
France.

But then, they eat frogs' legs and snails innit.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/