Chapter VI: Section 4: Melanosporæ, Dark Purple or Black Spores (1)

+PSALLIOTA = a ring or collar.+

The common mushroom Agaricus campestris belongs to this group. The gills are rounded behind and free, the stem has a collar. There are many edible mushrooms in this genus. They grow in pastures, and the larger ones are called Champignons. In former times when one spoke of eating mushrooms the species A. campestris, or campester, was always the one denoted.

+STROPHARIA = a sword belt.+

This genus has a ring. The gills are generally attached to the stem; some species grow on the ground, and some grow on other fungi. They are sometimes bell-shaped and then flattened, often with a mound or umbo.

+HYPHOLOMA = web and fringe.+

The veil in this genus is woven in a web which adheres to the margin of the cap. The cap is more or less fleshy, and the margin at first incurved. The gills are attached or have a tooth. There is no ring. The plants grow in tufts on wood, or at the base of trees in the autumn.

+PSILOCYBE = naked and head.+

The cap in this genus is fleshy, smooth, and the margin at first incurved. Gills turn dusky purple. The stem is cartilaginous, hollow or stuffed. No veil is visible. They grow on the ground.

+PSATHYRA = friable.+

The cap is conical and soft, the margin at first straight, and then pressed to the stem. The plants are slender, fragile and moist. Gills become purple. They grow on the ground, or on trunks of trees.

+COPRINUS = dung.+

In this genus the spores are black. It has two distinctive features: one, that the gills cohere at first, and are not separated when young; and the other, that they dissolve into an inky fluid. The gills are also scissile, that is, they can be split, and are linear and swollen in the middle. The plants last but a short time. Some are edible.

ORDER 2. POLYPOREI, OR TUBE-BEARING FUNGI.

We now pass to the next order, the Polyporei. We will mention four genera:

+BOLETUS.+

The name is that of a fungus much prized for its delicacy by the Romans, and is derived from a Greek word meaning a clod, which denotes the round figure of the plant.

The Boleti grow on the ground, are fleshy and putrescent with central stems. The tubes are packed closely together and are easily separated.

+FISTULINA = a pipe.+

In this genus the tubes are free and distinct from one another. They are somewhat fleshy and grow upon wood.

+POLYPORUS = many pores.+

The pores or tubes in this genus are not separate from one another. They are persistent fungi, most of them growing upon wood.

+DAEDALEA = curiously wrought.+

The name of this genus is derived from Daedalus, who constructed the labyrinth at Crete, in which the monster Minotaur was kept. It was one of the seven wonders of the world.

These fungi grow on wood, and become hard. The pores are firm when fully grown; they are sinuous and labyrinthine.

ORDER 3. HYDNEI, OR SPINE-BEARING FUNGI.

The name is derived from a word meaning a spine. This order contains many genera, two of which we will mention, Hydnum and Tremellodon.

+HYDNUM.+

Hydnum is derived from a Greek word, the name of an edible fungus. The plants in this genus are furnished with spines or teeth, instead of gills or tubes, and these contain the spores. The species are divided according to the stem. In some it is central and grows on the ground, in others it is lateral, and the cap is semicircular (dimidiate), and others again have no stem. There are some species that have no cap, and the spines are either straight or oblique. There are a few that are edible, but generally they have a bitter taste. However, some writers say that Hydnum repandum, or the spreading Hedgehog, is “delicious.” This mushroom and the one named “Medusa’s head,” H. caput Medusæ, are perhaps the most conspicuous of the order. The latter is very large. Its color is at first white, then becoming ashy gray. The spines on the upper surface are twisted, while the lower ones are long and straight. It grows on trunks of trees. In the spreading Hydnum the margin of the cap is arched and irregular. It grows on the ground.

+TREMELLODON = jelly and a tooth.+

The fungi in this genus are gelatinous. The cap is nearly semicircular in shape, sometimes fan-shaped and rounded in front. The spines or teeth are soft, white and delicate. We found one specimen in the month of September in the mountains of the State of New York.

ORDER 4. THELEPHOREI, OR EVEN SURFACE FUNGI.

In this order the lower surface of the cap is smooth and even, or slightly wrinkled. It is divided into several genera, only two of which we will enumerate, Craterellus and Stereum.

+CRATERELLUS = a bowl.+

The species called the “horn of plenty,” Craterellus cornucopioides, belongs to this genus, and is often found. Stevenson says it is common. It is trumpet-shaped (tubiform). The cap is of a dingy black color, and the stem is hollow, smooth, and black. We found quite a small specimen, the pileus not more than 1½ inch broad, but it may measure 3 inches. The spore-bearing surface was of an ash color. The margin of the cap was wavy, and it was hollow right through to the base. It was only 2 inches high, and there was scarcely any stem.

+STEREUM = hard.+

The genus Stereum is woody and leathery in nature, somewhat zoned, and looks like some Polyporci. It grows on wood, on stumps, and on dead wood.

ORDER 5. CLAVARIEI, OR CLUB FUNGI.

This order contains several genera, but one only will be mentioned, that of Clavaria.

+CLAVARIA = club.+

The common name often given to this genus is “Fairy Clubs.” We have described several species in our list of fungi, and will only say that these are fleshy fungi, either simple or branched. The expression fleshy, so often met with in these pages, is used in speaking of plants when they are succulent and composed of juicy, cellular tissue. They do not become leathery. In the genus Clavaria the fungi have no caps, but they have stems. There are a few edible species. One can scarcely walk any distance without seeing some species of Clavaria. They are conspicuous, sometimes attractive looking, and interesting in their variety.

The genus Cortinarius, one of the order of Agarics, has been already described, but it contains so many species that it deserves especial mention.

They are difficult to define. The genus has been subdivided by botanists into tribes which it may be well to enumerate. We have followed Stevenson’s arrangement.

He divides Cortinarius into six tribes.

1. Phlegacium = clammy moisture. In this tribe the cap is fleshy and sticky (viscous), while the stem is firm and dry. In all Cortinarii the gills become cinnamon-colored. There are many large-sized mushrooms in this tribe, the cap sometimes measuring 6 inches across.

2. Myxacium = mucous. This tribe has the stem sticky (viscous), and the universal veil is glutinous. The cap is fleshy but thin. Gills attached to stem and decurrent.

3. Inoloma = fibre and fringe. It contains distinguished species. The cap is at first silky, with innate scales or fibrils, is equally fleshy and dry. The stem is fleshy and rather bulbous.

4. Dermocybe = skin and head. The cap and stem are both thinner in this tribe than in Inoloma. The pileus becomes thin when old, and is dry, not moist. It is at first silky. The color of the gills is changeable, which makes it hard to distinguish the species.

5. Telamonia = lint. Pileus moist; at first smooth or sprinkled with superficial whitish fibres of the veil. Flesh thin, or becoming so abruptly at the margin; the veil is somewhat double, which is a distinguishing characteristic of this tribe.

6. Hygrocybe = moist and head. Cap in this tribe is smooth or only covered with white superficial fibrils, not gluey, but moist when fresh, and changing color when dry. Flesh thin.

CLASS I. GASTEROMYCETES, OR STOMACH FUNGI.

The Basidia-bearing fungi, or Basidiomycetes, are divided into three classes, as has been already stated. The third class, Hymenomycetes, or Membrane fungi, has been described, but there remain two other groups of which we will now speak more fully. They may be considered too difficult for beginners, and we would not venture to enter further into the subject were it not that some of the most familiar fungi belong to these classes--such as Puff-balls, Morels, and Helvellas.

The first class, called the Gasteromycetes, or Stomach fungi, matures its spores on the inside of the plant. The distinction between this class and that of the Membrane fungi, which ripens its spores on the outside, may be more readily understood by one familiar with the structure of the fig, whose flowers are situated on the interior of its pear-shaped, hollow axis, which is the fruit.

We will divide the Stomach fungi into four orders--1, the thick-skinned fungi (Sclerodermæ); 2, the Bird’s-nest fungi (Nidulariæ); 3, the Puff-balls (Lycoperdons); 4, the Stink horns (Phalloidæ.)

ORDER 1. SCLERODERMÆ, THE THICK-SKINNED FUNGI.

Our attention will be confined to only one genus, and, indeed, one species of this family. We often see in our walks what at a first glance look like potatoes lying along the road, and the suggestion arises that some careless boy has been losing potatoes from his basket on his way home from the country store. We stoop to pick them up, and find them rooted to the ground and covered with warts and scales. We cut them open and find them a purplish-black color inside. It is a mass of closely packed unripe spores. In a few days the upper part of the outside covering decays, bursts open, and the ripe spores escape. This is called the common hard-rind fungus, or Scleroderma vulgare.

ORDER 2. NIDULARIÆ, THE BIRD’S-NEST FUNGI.

This is again divided into three genera. The Crucible (crucibulum), the Cup (Cyathus), the Bird’s-nest proper (Nidularia.)

We often find on a wood-pile or a fallen tree some of the members of the Bird’s-nest family. It is fascinating to examine them in their various stages of development. First we see a tiny buff knot, cottony in texture and closely covered; next, another rather larger, with its upper covering thrown aside, displaying the tiny eggs, which prompts one to look around for the miniature mother bird; then we find a nest empty with the fledglings flown. The characteristic that distinguishes the Bird’s-nest fungi from others consists in the fact that the spores are produced in small envelopes that do not split open, and which are enclosed in a common covering, called the peridium. One species is known by the fluted inside of the covering, which is quite beautiful. They are all small and grow in groups.

ORDER 3. LYCOPERDONS, THE PUFF-BALLS.

The Lycoperdons contain several genera, among which we select the Puff-balls proper and the Earth stars.

What child is there who lives in the country and does not know the Puff-ball? With what gusto he presses it and watches what he calls the smoke pouring from the chimney. Indeed, the outpouring of myriads of spores in its ripe stage does suggest smoke from a chimney. The puff-ball, when young, is of a firm texture, nearly round, grayish, or brownish outside, but of a pure white within. There are several genera, but we have selected two--1, Lycoperdon; and 2, Earth Star, or Geaster.

+LYCOPERDON = the puff-ball.+

The puff-balls vary greatly in size, the smallest measure ½ inch up to the largest, about 15 inches. Professor Peck describes them thus: “Specimens of medium size are 8 to 12 inches in diameter. The largest in the State Museum is about 15 inches in the dry state. When fresh it was probably 20 inches or more. The color is whitish, afterward yellowish or brownish. The largest size was called the Giant Puff-ball (Calvatia bovista).”

+GEASTER = the earth star.+

These vary greatly in size. The small ones grow on pine needles on the ground or among leaves. Some are mounted on pedicels, some are sessile or seated directly on the earth, but the family likeness is so pronounced that even the novice need not be doubtful as to the name of the fungus when found. There are two species that have slender, elongated stems. The name is well chosen. In moist weather the points expand and roll back or lie flat on the earth. Then the round puff-ball in the centre is plainly seen.

In dry weather the star-like divisions are rigidly turned in and cover closely the round portion. “When dry it is sometimes rolled about by the wind; when it is wet by the rain or abundant dew it absorbs the moisture and spreads itself out, and rests from its journey, again to take up its endless wandering as sun and rain appear to reduce it once more to a ball and set it rolling.” (Underwood.)

ORDER 4. PHALLOIDS, THE STINK HORN FUNGI.

We come now to the fourth and last order of the Stomach fungi (Gasteromycetes) that we shall mention. In spite of their appellation these fungi are strikingly beautiful, but their odor is most offensive. They grow in woods, and are also found in cellars. Their history has been carefully investigated by mycologists, and the novice will find many beautiful illustrations in various works. In their early stage they are enclosed in an egg-shaped veil (volva), having a gelatinous inner layer. Some are bright-colored, others are pure white, and the stems of one species look as if covered with lace work. The most familiar one, Phallus impudicus, “the fetid wood witch,” we have placed in the list of fungi at the end of this book, with its description.

CLASS II. ASCOMYCETES, OR SPORE SAC FUNGI.

This is the second division of the Basidia-bearing fungi. It includes all the fungi that have the spores enveloped in delicate sacs called asci. It is divided into several orders, but we will only mention the one which contains the most familiar plants. This order is named the Disc-like fungi (Discomycetes). In this the spore-bearing surface is on the upper or outside surface of the mushroom cap. It is divided into many genera, of which we shall mention three--the Cup fungi, or Pezizas, the Morels or Morchellas, and the Yellowish fungi or Helvellas.

+PEZIZAS = the Cup fungi.+

These form a very large group, mostly growing on decaying plants. They are typically disc-shaped or cup-shaped, and when young are closed or nearly so, opening when mature. They vary in size from minute species to large fleshy ones, 3 to 4 inches in diameter. They are generally small, thin, and tough. They grow on twigs, leaves, dead wood, or on the ground. Many are stemless. They are both solitary and densely clustered. The color varies from pale brown to a dark gray, resembling, when moist, india-rubber cloth, and then, again, there are many of brilliant hues--red and orange. Some are erect, some are split down at the side like the ear of a hare. The Cup fungi are found in August and September, growing near ditches, and by the roadside where there is moisture. The ear-shaped Pezizas somewhat resemble the Jew’s ear, and the beginner might easily confound them. This latter fungus belongs to the third class of membrane fungi (Hymenomycetes), and it is included in the descriptions of fungi.

+THE MORELS or MORCHELLAS = the honey-combed fungi.+

The collector during the months of April and May will enjoy a new experience when he first finds a fungus of a bright brown color, deeply pitted, spongy looking, cone-shaped or nearly round; its head supported on an erect, white stem. He will probably find it on a grassy hillside or along a running brook under some forest trees. He has perhaps seen its picture and at once exclaims, “my first Morel.” He will notice its peculiar honey-combed depression, and then cutting it open will find both the head and the stem hollow. Where are the spores? There are no gills as in the Agarics, nor are they concealed in a covering (peridium), as in the Puff-balls, but they are contained in delicate sacs on the cap. The exterior surface of the cap is the spore-bearing portion, and the spores are developed in their sacs, but only seen under a microscope.

+HELVELLA = the yellowish mushroom.+

This genus may be readily recognized by the form of the cap, which is lobed and irregularly waved and drooping, often attached to the stem. They grow on the ground in the woods, and sometimes on rotten wood. The genus comprises the largest of the Disc fungi known, some species weighing over a pound. Cicero mentions the Helvellas as a favorite dish of the Romans.

+THE TRUFFLE = delicacy.+

It will be well to finish this section with the mention of the Truffle. It may yet be found in the United States, but hitherto its place of growth has been on the continent of Europe, and especially in France, where it forms an article of commerce, and is highly prized as food. It is subterranean, and requires for its discovery a higher sense of smell than man possesses. It is generally found by the hog and the dog, who are trained to help the truffle hunters. There are some species in our country that resemble it, and grow underneath the ground. One, found in the Southern States, called Rhizopogon, grows in sandy soil. This species, however, does not belong to Class II., but to Class I., the Gasteromycetes, or Stomach fungi. It is not likely that the beginner will find this mushroom, so no description will be given.

GENERAL HELPS TO THE MEMORY.

There are certain facts which if committed to memory will be of great help to beginners in classifying mushrooms. There are distinctive features belonging to different genera, which will be enumerated as follows. These facts apply to the order of Agarics, containing the largest number of familiar mushrooms. They have been placed in tables for the convenience of the beginner, and are arranged without regard to family relationship.

_Mushrooms Containing both Volva and Ring (Annulus)._

There is only one genus that has both volva and ring. Amanita.

_Mushrooms with Ring and no Volva._

1. Pholiota.
2. Annularia.
3. Stropharia.
4. Psalliota.
5. Armillaria.
6. Lepiota.

_Mushrooms that have the stem attached on the side (lateral) or between Margin and Centre (eccentric)._

1. Crepidotus.
2. Claudopus.
3. Pleurotus.

_Mushrooms with tough or cartilaginous Stems._

1. Psathyra.
2. Nolanea.
3. Mycena.
4. Marasmius.
5. Naucoria.
6. Leptonia.
7. Omphalia.
8. Collybia.
9. Psilocybe.
10. Galera.

_Mushrooms, Stemless._

1. Schizophyllum.
2. Trogia.
3. Lenzites.

_Mushrooms that have the Cap bell-shaped (campanulate) and Marked with Lines (striate)._

1. Psathyra.
2. Galera.
3. Nolanea.
4. Mycena.

_Mushrooms with Gills attached to Stem and a Ring._

1. Stropharia.
2. Armillaria.
3. Pholiota.

_Mushrooms Having Gills with serrated edge._

1. Lentinus.

_Mushrooms with Free Gills not attached to Stem._

1. Chitonia.
2. Psalliota.
3. Pluteolus.
4. Pluteus.
5. Volvaria.
6. Lepiota.
7. Amanita.

_Mushrooms with emarginate sinuate Gills, or with notch near to Stem._

1. Hypholoma.
2. Tricholoma.
3. Hebeloma.
4. Entoloma.

_Mushrooms that are corky and leathery._

1. Lenzites.
2. Lentinus.
3. Schizophyllum.
4. Panus.

_Mushrooms with Gills running down Stem more or less (decurrent)._

1. Gomphidius.
2. Paxillus.
3. Tubaria (some species).
4. Flammula (some adnate).
5. Eccilia (truly decurrent).
6. Clitopilus (somewhat decurrent).
7. Panus (some species decurrent).
8. Lentinus (mostly decurrent).
9. Cantharellus.
10. Hygrophorus (mostly decurrent).
11. Pleurotus (some decurrent).
12. Omphalia (truly decurrent).
13. Clitocybe (decurrent or adnate).
14. Lactarius (decurrent or adnato-decurrent).

_Mushrooms that are deliquescent or turn into inky fluid._

1. Coprinus.
2. Bolbitius.

It will also be useful to the beginner to see a list of Agarics classified according to botanists by the color of their spores.

CLASSIFICATION OF AGARICS BY COLOR OF SPORES.

1. Leucosporæ (white spores).
2. Rhodosporæ (rosy or salmon spores).
3. Ochrosporæ (ochraceous spores).
4. Melanosporæ (dark purple or black spores).

_Leucosporæ, or White Spores._

1. Amanita.
2. Lepiota.
3. Armillaria.
4. Tricholoma.
5. Clitocybe.
6. Collybia.
7. Mycena.
8. Omphalia.
9. Pleurotus.
10. Trogia.
11. Hygrophorus.
12. Lactarius.
13. Russula.
14. Cantharellus.
15. Marasmius.
16. Lentinus.
17. Panus.
18. Xerotus.
19. Schizophyllum.
20. Lenzites.
21. Arrhenia (pallid spores).

_Rhodosporæ, Rosy or Salmon Spores._

1. Volvaria.
2. Pluteus.
3. Enteloma.
4. Leptonia.
5. Nolanea.
6. Eccilia.
7. Claudopus.
8. Clitopilus.

_Ochrosporæ, or Ochraceous Spores._

1. Pholiota.
2. Inocybe.
3. Hebeloma.
4. Flammula.
5. Naucoria.
6. Pluteolus.
7. Galera.
8. Tubaria.
9. Crepidotus.
10. Cortinarius.
11. Acetabularia.
12. Paxillus (spores are ferruginous or dingy white).
13. Bolbitius (ferruginous spores).

_Melanosporæ, Dark Purple or Black Spores._

1. Chitonia.
2. Psalliota.
3. Stropharia.
4. Hypholoma.
5. Psilocybe.
6. Psathyra.
7. Panæolus.
8. Psathyrella.
9. Coprinus.
10. Gomphidius.
11. Anellaria.

Having arranged these lists of mushrooms by their different characteristics, and then by the color of the spores, we will give a list of fungi familiar to most persons, classified according to the colors of the cap. The far greater number have been analyzed by the writers, and a full description is given to enable the beginner more easily to identify them.

The reader will notice that in the lists of fungi given above there are certain genera not elsewhere mentioned in this book. He will understand that it is inadvisable in a short primer to allude to all the genera that exist. It was, however, impossible to give a complete table without including them in it.

DESCRIPTIONS OF FUNGI, ARRANGED ACCORDING TO COLOR OF CAP ONLY.

MUSHROOMS WITH RED OR PINK COLORED CAP.

The genus Russula probably contains the largest number of mushrooms with reddish caps, the word Russula meaning reddish.

+RUSSULA EMETICA = a vomit.+
+The Nauseating Russula.+

+Cap+ bright blood red, at first rosy, then blood color, tawny when old, 3 to 4 inches broad, first bell-shaped, then flattened or depressed, polished, margin at length grooved (sulcate), flesh white, reddish under the cuticle. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, ¾ of an inch thick, white or with a reddish hue, spongy, stuffed, stout, elastic when young, fragile when old, even, tapering slightly upward. +Gills+ free, broad, rather distant, white.

This is found on the ground among dead leaves, in the woods and open places from July to December. It has a bitter taste, and is said to be poisonous. Those eating it are often affected as if they had taken an emetic. It is easily distinguished by the fact of the flesh turning red immediately under the skin when it is peeled off. There are numerous varieties of it, in one the stem has minute wrinkles running lengthwise. We found it in different localities. The taste was acrid. It was one of the first and the last mushrooms that we gathered. (Poisonous.)

+RUSSULA SANGUINEA = blood.+
+The Blood-colored Russula.+

+Cap+ blood red, becoming pale at margin, 2 to 3 inches broad, at first convex, then depressed, and funnel-shaped (infundibuliform), irregularly swollen in the centre, polished, even, margin acute, moist in damp weather. Flesh firm, cheesy, white. +Stem+ stout, spongy, stuffed, at first contracted at apex, then equal, slightly marked with lines white or reddish. +Gills+ at first fastened to stem and then decurrent, crowded, narrow, connected by veins, fragile, somewhat forked, shining white, afterward turning ochraceous color. The taste is acrid and peppery. It is found in woods from August to September, and is not common. (Poisonous.)

+RUSSULA ROSEIPES = rosy stem.+
+The Rosy Stemmed Russula.+

This is a striking-looking mushroom. The colors are pretty, and the tinge of red in the stem adds to its beauty. There are other species of Russula that also have red tints in the stem. +Cap+ rosy red, with pink and orange hues, 1 to 2 inches broad, convex, becoming nearly plane or slightly depressed; at first viscid, soon dry, slightly marked with lines on the thin margin, taste mild. +Gills+ moderately close, nearly entire, rounded behind and slightly adnexed, swollen in the middle, whitish, becoming yellow. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long, 3 to 4 lines thick, slightly tapering upward, stuffed or hollow, white, tinged with red. It is distinguished from other species by its mild taste, rosy cap, commonly dry and but slightly striate on margin, its gills changing from white to yellow or slightly ochraceous, and being partially attached to the stem, and its stem being slightly stained with rosy red. It grows in pine and hemlock woods, and is found in July and August. (Edible.)

+RUSSULA LEPIDA = neat or elegant.+
+The Elegant Russula.+

+Cap+ at first is a bright red, but becomes a dull reddish-pink, paler at the disc, 3 inches broad, dry, fleshy, convex; then expanded, scarcely depressed, obtuse and polished, afterward cracked (rimose), and with minute scales (squamulose). The margin spreading and rounded, obtuse, _not_ striate. +Stem+ about 3 inches long, from 1 to 1½ inch thick, even, solid, white, or rose color. +Gills+ rounded behind, rather thick, somewhat crowded, often forked, connected by veins, white, often red at edge. Taste mild. We found our specimen in mixed woods. The stem was only tinged with pink. (Edible.)

+LACTARIUS VOLEMUS = a kind of large pear. (From its shape.)+
+The Orange Brown Lactarius.+

+Cap+ 3 to 5 inches broad, reddish-orange color, becoming pale, compact, rigid, obtuse, with the margin bent inward, depressed, at length marked with lines like a river (rimose). Flesh white, turning brown. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, ¾ to 1¼ inch thick, stout, stuffed, then hollow, paler at apex, with a bloom, same color as cap, with lengthwise lines. +Gills+ adnato-decurrent, yellowish turning ochraceous, broad, thin, crowded, milk sweet and plentiful. Stevenson says that the taste of this Lactarius is delicious, that it is savory even when raw. It should not be kept too long before cooking, or it will emit a strong, unpleasant odor. It is abundant in chestnut or oak woods from July to September. Our specimen was much wrinkled on the margin. The milk was abundant. (Edible.)

+LACTARIUS ICHORATUS = lymph.+
+The Colorless Lactarius.+

The name of this species is given on account of the color of the milk (Stevenson). +Cap+ a tawny pinkish-red color, 3 to 4 inches broad, zoned, plano-depressed, margin often wavy, dry, flesh creamy white or pallid. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, thick, solid, afterward spongy, equal, smooth, the same color as the cap, lighter at the apex. +Gills+ adnate, slightly decurrent, not crowded, creamy white, turning ochraceous. Milk white, sweet. It has a strong smell. In the specimen we found the stem was slightly marked with lines and the milk plentiful. It is not spoken of as edible.

+LACTARIUS MITISSIMUS = mild.+

The name only applies to the taste of the milk. (Stevenson.)

+Cap+ a light, bright reddish-orange, golden tawny color, 1 to 4 inches broad, even, then depressed, smooth, sticky when moist, flesh whitish, turning yellow. +Stem+ 1 to 4 inches long, thick, stuffed, then hollow, even, smooth, same color as cap. +Gills+ slightly running down the stem, rounded at one end, broad, yellowish. Milk mild, then bitterish and plentiful. It is found in pine and mixed woods from August until November. It has a beautiful color, and resembles in that particular L. volemus.

+CORTINARIUS ARMILLATUS = a ring or bracelet.+
+The Zoned Cortinarius.+

+Cap+ a tawny reddish-yellow, brick red, 2 to 5 inches broad, fleshy, bell-shaped or almost conical, then convex, dry, smooth, marked with reddish specks, darker toward the centre, flesh white, turning red and narrowing toward the margin. +Stem+ 3 to 6 inches long, ½ inch thick, solid, firm, slightly tapering toward the apex, very bulbous at base, same color as cap, stuffed with brown pith inside. There are two or three reddish oblique zones encircling the stem. +Gills+ adnate, swollen in the middle, distant, variable, at first pale cinnamon color, and then dark brown. We found them at the end of August in great numbers, sometimes united in tufts (cæspitose) in all stages of growth, the younger ones covered with a cobwebby veil, which is paler in color than the zones. They grow in mixed woods.

+CLITOCYBE LACCATA = a resinous substance.+
+The Waxy Clitocybe.+

This species is small in size. +Cap+ is about 1 inch broad, thin, convex and almost plane. Sometimes with a depression (umbilicate). When moist it has a water-soaked look, and becomes pale in drying. When wet it has a peculiar flesh color, but when dry it is a pale yellowish-red hue. +Stem+ is long and slender, tough and of same color as cap, 2 lines thick, fibrous, stuffed, often twisted and white, with soft, weak hairs at base (villous). +Gills+ are attached to stem with a decurrent tooth, broad, distant, of a peculiar flesh color. We found several varieties. One had gills of a beautiful violet color (Var. amethystina), in another the gills were pale (Var. pallidifolia). (Peck.) A small form with radiating lines extending from near the centre to the margin (Var. striatula), Peck, is an interesting species and often seen. They grow closely together on the sides of roads, in groups, all through the season. Sometimes the cap is very small, ¼ inch across. It often grows in arcs of circles.

+CLITOCYBE INFUNDIBULIFORMIS = funnel-shaped.+
+The Funnel-shaped Clitocybe.+

+Cap+ a pale red color, 2 to 3 inches broad, convex when young, then slightly raised in the middle, umbonate, afterward the margin is elevated and the cap becomes funnel-shaped and the margin wavy. Flesh thin and white. +Stem+ 1½ to 3 inches long, 2 to 3 lines thick, smooth, paler colored than the cap, tapering upward. +Gills+ rather decurrent, arc-shaped, broad, distant, whitish, not yellow, netted with veins. This is also a variable species and grows in woods. It is pretty, and is easily known by its shape.

+BOLETUS MURRAYI.+
+Murray’s Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark red, 1 to 3 inches broad, granulated, convex, with a slight mound or umbo, margin turned upward, flesh yellow. +Stem+ ½ inch long, yellow. Tubes lemon color, angular and round, irregular. The stem in our specimen was granulated like the cap.

+BOLETUS CHROMAPES = chrome yellow and foot.+
+The Chrome-footed Boletus.+

+Cap+ tawny red, 2 to 4 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, flesh white. Tubes almost attached (subadnate), depressed around the stem, whitish, turning a pinkish-brown color. +Stem+ equal or tapering upward, rough whitish color, with reddish specks upon it, but chrome yellow at the base, both outside and inside, and spongy within. Stem 2 to 4 inches long, about ½ inch thick. This is not a hard boletus to distinguish on account of the yellow color at the base of the stem. The Boleti seem to be most abundant from the beginning of July until early in September. There are many varieties of beautiful colors, and they are a most interesting group, especially to beginners. This may be partly owing to the fact that Professor Peck’s pamphlet on “Boleti” is clearly expressed, and the descriptions so vivid and plain that one has less trouble in naming them than any other class of fungi.

+HYGROPHORUS MINEATUS = vermilion.+
+The Vermilion Hygophorus.+

+Cap+ 1 inch broad, at first vermilion color and then paler, broad, flattened and then even, depressed in centre by the margin becoming elevated. It is thin and fragile at first, even, smooth, and then scaly. +Stem+ from 1 to 2 inches long, slender, 1 line thick, a little paler than the cap, equal, round, somewhat stuffed, smooth, shining. +Gills+ attached, seldom decurrent, distant, distinct, yellow color, shaded with red. This species is very fragile. It grows in woods or in open country, on mosses or on dead leaves. It may be cæspitose, or grows singly from July to October.

+HYGROPHORUS COCCINEUS = scarlet color.+
+The Scarlet Hygrophorus.+

+Cap+, first bright scarlet and then changing to a paler hue. One to 2 inches broad and even more, convex, plane, often unequal, obtuse, sticky, and even, smooth, flesh of the same color as cap. +Stem+ 2 inches long, 3 to 4 lines thick, hollow, then compressed and rather even, scarlet color like cap, but always yellow at the base. +Gills+ wholly attached, decurrent, with a tooth, distant, connected by veins, soft, watery, when full grown, purplish at the base, light yellow in the middle, powdery at the edge, fragile. This species grows in pastures, and is common. It is found from August to November.

+HYGROPHORUS PUNICEUS = blood red.+
+The Blood-red Hygrophorus.+

+Cap+ 2 to 4 inches broad, glittering blood scarlet, when older becomes paler, at first bell-shaped, obtuse, commonly spread out or lobed, irregular, even, smooth, sticky. Flesh of the same color as cap, fragile. +Stem+ 3 inches long, 1 to 1½ inch thick. Solid when young, at length hollow, very stout, swollen in middle, thinner at both ends, marked with lines and generally scaly at apex; when dry either yellow or same color as the cap, always white at first, and often incurved at the base. +Gills+ ascending, swollen in middle, 2 to 4 lines broad, distant, thick, white or light yellow, or yellow, and often reddish at base. This is a very handsome species. It is found in pastures from July to November.

MUSHROOMS WITH YELLOW OR ORANGE COLORED CAP.

+CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS = food.+
+The Chantarelle.+

+Cap+ bright orange or egg color, first convex, and then depressed, at length top-shaped and smooth. The margin lobed and turning under (involute). Flesh thick and white. +Stem+ 1 to 1½ inch long, thickened upward, solid, fleshy. +Gills+ running down the stem, thick, distant, fold-like. Stevenson does not give the size of the cap, but our specimen measured 2 inches in breadth. It had an odor like ripe apricots, and a pleasant taste. It is often tufted in its growth. It is found in woods from July to December. This is a very striking looking mushroom and easily distinguished. It often grows in rings or arcs of circles. (Edible.)

+HYPHOLOMA FASCICULARE = a small bundle.+
+The Tufted Hypholoma.+

+Cap+ a beautiful reddish color, like a peach; the disc darker, about 2 inches broad, fleshy, thin, convex, then plane, with a slight mound or umbo, even, smooth, dry; flesh a light yellow. +Stem+ variable in length, 2 to 9 inches long, 2 lines thick, hollow, thin, incurved or curved, covered with fibres of same color as cap. +Gills+ adnate, very crowded, linear, somewhat liquid when mature (deliquescent), sulphur yellow, and then becoming green, taste bitter. It grows in crowded clusters. It is said to be poisonous.

+AMANITA MUSCARIA = a fly.+
+The Fly Amanita.+

+Cap+ at first red, then orange, then becoming pale, about 4 inches broad, convex, and then flat, covered with thick fragments of volva; margin when grown slightly marked with lines; flesh white, yellow under the cuticle. +Stem+ white, sometimes yellowish, 2 inches long, torn into scales, at first stuffed, then hollow; the attached base of the volva forms an oval-shaped bulb, which is bordered with concentric scales, that is, having a common centre, as a series of rings one within the other. +Ring+ very soft, torn, even, inserted at the apex of the stem, which is often dilated. +Gills+ free but reaching the stem, decurrent, in the form of lines, crowded, broader in front, white, rarely becoming yellow. It grows in woods from July to November. This mushroom is easily identified by its orange-colored cap, covered with white warts and _pure white stem and gills_. We found several specimens in the woods, all of a most beautiful striking color. (Poisonous.)

+AMANITA FROSTIANA.+
+Frost’s Amanita.+

+Cap+ a bright yellow, almost orange color, 1½ inch broad, convex or expanded, covered with warts, but sometimes nearly smooth, the margin marked with lines (striate.) +Gills+ white or tinged with yellow, free from the stem. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, white or yellowish, stuffed, slender, bearing a slight evanescent ring; bulbous at the base, bulb slightly margined by the volva. We found several specimens growing in mixed woods. It is smaller than A. muscaria, more slender, with a beautiful color.

+TRICHOLOMA EQUESTRE = a knight.+
+The Canary Mushroom, so called from its color.+

+Cap+ pale yellow, 3 to 5 inches broad, darker at disc, tinged with a brick red hue, and yellow near margin, convex, then plane, wavy, irregular; flesh white, thick. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long, and ½ to ⅔ inch thick, generally white, sometimes yellow, stout and solid. +Gills+ close, deeply notched near the stem, a beautiful pale yellow color, scarcely adnexed, broad, somewhat swollen in middle. It grows in pine woods and appears in the autumn.

+TRICHOLOMA SULPHUREUM = sulphur.+
+The Sulphury Tricholoma.+

+Cap+ dingy sulphur yellow color, ½ to 4 inches broad, at first round with a slight umbo, at length depressed, rather silky, then smooth and even. +Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, 3 to 4 lines thick, stuffed, somewhat equal but often curved, rather smooth, striate, sulphur yellow, of same color as cap. +Gills+ adnexed, narrowed behind, rather thick, distant, distinct, brighter than the cap. This is also found in autumn in the woods, and is quite common. It has a strange disagreeable odor.

+LACTARIUS DELICIOSUS = delicious.+
+The Delicious Lactarius.+

+Cap+ orange brick color, 2 to 6 inches broad, becoming pale, fleshy, when young depressed in centre, margin turned under (involute), then flat and depressed, or funnel-shaped, with margin unfolded, smooth, zoned, slightly sticky. The zones become faded in the old plants. The flesh is whitish or tinged with yellow. +Stem+ a little paler than the cap, with spots of deeper orange, 1 to 4 inches long, ⅓ to ⅔ of an inch thick, stuffed, then hollow, fragile. +Gills+ running down the stem (decurrent), orange color, crowded, narrow, becoming pale and green when wounded. The milk is orange color. It grows in pine woods and in wet, mossy swamps. It resembles the orange brown Lactarius in size and shape, but the color is different, so we have placed it in the orange-colored section and L. volemus in the red division of colors.

+STROPHARIA SICCAPES = dry and foot.+
+The Dry Stropharia.+

Stropharia is taken from a Greek word meaning sword belt, referring to its ring (Stevenson). Siccapes is from two words meaning dry and foot. It grows on horse manure. Stevenson does not mention this species. It is described by Mr. Peck in the State reports. +Cap+ is a light yellow, darker in the centre, ¼ inch to 1 inch broad, bell-shaped, sticky, shiny when dry, even. +Stem+ sometimes 4 inches long, slender, straight, dry, base almost club-shaped. +Ring+ scarcely perceptible, but forming a whitish zone, shining, persistent, apex of stem whitish, and slightly striate. +Gills+ dark gray, almost blackish, the margin paler, adfixed, thin. We found a great many in one place, of all sizes, from 1 line across cap to 1 inch. In some specimens the ring was wanting, but in others it was apparent.

+CANTHARELLUS AURANTIACUS = orange yellow.+
+The Orange Chanterelle.+

This species takes its name from its color. +Cap+ is orange yellow, 2 to 3 inches broad, fleshy, soft, depressed, often eccentric, with the stem between centre and margin, and wavy, somewhat tomentose and involute at the margin. +Stem+ 2 inches long, stuffed, and then hollow, somewhat incurved and unequal, yellowish. +Gills+ decurrent, tense, and straight, repeatedly dividing by pairs from below upward (dichotomous) and crowded, often crisped at base, orange color. This species grows in woods, and is often found there during the months of autumn. Some consider it poisonous.

+CANTHARELLUS INFUNDIBULIFORMIS = funnel-shaped.+
+The Funnel-Shaped Chantarelle.+

+Cap+ yellow when moist, 1 to 2 inches broad, umbilicate, then funnel-shaped, wrinkled on the surface, at length wavy at margin. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, 2 lines thick, hollow (fistulose), a little thickened at the base, even, smooth, always a light yellow. +Gills+ decurrent, thick, distant, dichotomous, straight, light yellow; when old, ash color (cinereous.) This is found in the woods from July to October.

+BOLETUS HEMICHRYSUS = half and golden.+
+The Half Golden Boletus.+

The descriptions of the Boleti are all written after comparing the specimens we found with those described in Professor Peck’s work on Boleti. We examined and analyzed all those placed on the list. The descriptions written by Professor Peck are so clear and faithful to nature that it makes the task of calling them by name much easier than any other fungi we have studied. +Cap+ bright golden yellow, 1½ to 2½ inches broad, convex plane and depressed, with minute wooly scales (floccose squamulose), and covered with a yellow powder (pulverulent), sometimes with cracks (rimose). Flesh thick and yellow. Tubes decurrent, yellow, becoming brown; mouths large, angular. +Stem+ short, about 1 inch long, 3 to 6 lines thick, irregular, narrowing toward the base, sprinkled with a yellowish dust, tinged with red. We found it growing on an old stump, in pine woods, in the month of August.

+BOLETUS GRANULATUS = granules.+
+The Granulated Boletus.+

This Boletus varies much in color. In our specimen it was a pinkish-yellow, and covered with yellow spots of a darker shade. We found it in all sizes, from 2 to 4 inches broad. +Cap+ was convex, nearly plane, viscid when moist. It became more of a yellow color when it was dry. Flesh pale yellow. The tubes were adnate, short and yellowish. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long, 4 to 6 lines thick. Some were united in tufts (cæspitose), others were gregarious (in groups) or solitary. They grew on the edge of pine woods, and near the roadside. The stem was dotted in the upper part with glandules and was pale yellow.

+BOLETUS CYANESCENS = bright blue.+
+The Bluing Boletus.+

+Cap+ a light pale brownish-yellow, or a light yellow color (alutaceous), 2 to 5 inches broad, with minute wooly scales, convex or nearly plane. Flesh white, changing quickly to blue when cut. Tubes free, white, afterward yellow; mouths small, round. Tubes change also to a bluish-green when bruised. +Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, ¾ to ½ inch thick, swollen in the middle (ventricose), covered with a bloom (pruinose), stuffed and then hollow, tapering toward the apex, colored like the cap. This is a very easy Boletus to distinguish from others, and interesting to the beginner on account of the striking and beautiful change of color. Found in hemlock and pine woods toward the end of August.

+PHOLIOTA ADIPOSA = fat.+
+The Stout Pholiota.+

+Cap+ bright yellowish or orange color, 3 to 7 inches broad, convex, then flattened, gibbous, that is, more convex on one side than on the other; viscid, covered with woolly (floccose) scales, which often separate. Flesh whitish. +Stem+ 3 to 6 inches long, ½ to 1 inch thick, solid, large at base, first white and then light yellow, with darker scales. +Ring+ yellow, and then ironrust color (ferruginous.) +Gills+ adnate, slightly rounded, broad at first, yellow and then darker. We were driving through a thick woods when we saw the bright yellow cap of this mushroom peering among the bushes. There was no apparent ring and few scales except on the margin. It was irregularly shaped, fleshy and thick. It was not a typical specimen, and a beginner would have found it difficult to name. The then recent hard rains had washed nearly all the scales from the cap, and the ring was hardly to be seen. It grew on the trunk of a tree in the month of September. Not edible.

+PHOLIOTA SPECTABILIS = showy.+
+The Showy Pholiota.+

This Pholiota was found much later in the season. +Cap+ is from 2 to 5 inches broad, a golden yellow, then growing paler, fleshy, torn into squamules, dry, flesh thick, hard, sulphur yellow. +Stem+ about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick, solid, hard, swollen in the middle, and extending into a spindle-shaped root. It is sometimes smooth and shining and sometimes scaly, sulphur yellow color and mealy _above_ the ring. +Gills+ adnate, crowded, narrow, at first pure yellow and afterward ironrust color. Gills have sometimes a small decurrent tooth (Stevenson), but our specimen had none. It grew together (cæspitose) on a stump. Not edible.

+MARASMIUS OREADES = a mountain nymph.+
+The Fairy Ring Mushroom.+

+Cap+ when young and moist is of a pale yellowish-red, but fades when dry to pale yellow. It is from 1 to 2 inches broad, fleshy, tough, convex, then plane, somewhat umbonate, even, smooth, slightly striate at margin when moist. +Stem+ 1 to 2 inches long and less than ¼ inch thick; slender, solid, tough, equal, sometimes cartilaginous, straight, covered with a close woven skin that can be rubbed off. +Gills+ free or slightly attached, whitish or creamy yellow, broad, distant, the alternate ones shorter, rounded, or deeply notched at inner end. These mushrooms grow in circles and are called fairy rings. They are found chiefly on lawns and pastures from May till October. We saw one specimen in October. It grew in a waste lot at Kaighn’s Point, Camden, N.J. It was solitary, of a brownish-yellow color, the cap 1 inch broad, and the stem 1 inch long. It was growing amidst some ballast plants, the only mushroom there.

+COPRINUS MICACEUS = mica.+
+The Glistening Coprinus.+

+Cap+ varies from buff to tawny yellow, 1 to 2 inches broad, bell-shaped (campanulate) or conical (cone-shaped), thin, marked with lengthwise lines, which extend half-way up from the margin. The disc is even and is more highly colored. It is often sprinkled with shiny atoms when young. +Gills+ at first whitish, then brown or black. +Stem+ 1 to 3 inches long, slender, hollow and white. The spores are dark brown. We found it in great numbers growing on the ground amidst the grass in September and October. It may be seen as early as April. It is a pretty species. (Edible.)

MUSHROOMS WITH GRAY COLORED CAP.

+AMANITA STROBILIFORMIS = a pine cone.+
+The Warted Amanita.+

+Cap+ light gray, or dingy white when young; 7 to 9 inches broad when expanded fully. It is covered with large pyramidal, persistent warts. The margin is even, and extends beyond the gills. Flesh firm and white. +Stem+ 6 to 8 inches long, 1 to 3 inches thick, solid, scaly, tapering upward, with a bulbous base and marked with a series of rings near the root, which extends deep into the ground. +Ring+ large, torn. +Gills+ white, free, rounded near the stem, ⅜ inch broad. This is said to be rather rare. We found it twice in August growing solitary on the roadside in the grass. It was large-sized, measuring 7 inches across cap, of a grayish-white color, with prominent warts; the stem was mealy, the volva was large. It was marked with distinct rings near the base. When kept many hours the smell becomes disagreeable. The name is given on account of the shape of the warts, which are conspicuous.

+AMANITA VAGINATA = a sheath.+
+The Sheathed Mushroom.+

+Cap+ gray, mouse color, sometimes slate-colored gray, and even brownish, 2 to 4 inches broad. It is thin and fragile, convex, and then nearly flat, with a slight mound or umbo, but sometimes none. It is deeply striate or grooved (sulcate) on the margin. +Stem+ is white and often covered with mealy particles. It is slender, either hollow or stuffed, 3 to 5 inches long, ⅓ to ½ inch thick. It is not bulbous, but is sheathed quite high in a loose, soft wrapper, the remains of the volva. There is no ring. +Gills+ are whitish, free from the stem, and rounded. It is easily broken. There are several varieties (Peck). In one the plant is white, Var. alba. In Var. livida the cap is a leaden brownish color, and in the Var. fulva the cap is tawny yellow and ochraceous. The mouse-colored form is the most common. We found many specimens in July and August.

+CORTINARIUS CORRUGATUS = wrinkled.+
+The Wrinkled Cortinarius.+

+Cap+ gray, with a pinkish-yellowish tint, 2 inches broad, campanulate, sticky, broken up into squamules, pellicle scaling, margin thin. +Stem+ slender, 5 inches long, shiny, mealy at apex, slightly bulbous. +Gills+ gray color, adnexed, distant, ventricose. This is a pretty mushroom. The shade of color of the pileus is delicate. We found it in August in the woods.

+BOLETUS FELLEUS = bitter.+
+The Bitter Boletus.+

This Boletus varies much in color; our plant was a brownish-gray, a dingy color. +Cap+ 3 to 8 inches broad, convex or nearly plane, glabrous, even, flesh white, turning to flesh or pink color when wounded. Taste bitter, tubes adnate, long, depressed around the stem, crowded. +Stem+ variable, 2 to 4 inches long, about ½ to 1 inch thick, equal or tapering, reticulated above, bulbous or enlarged at base, a little paler than the pileus. The Boleti we found grew in great numbers, in different localities, and were of all sizes. The color of the reticulations was a brownish-gray.

+BOLETUS GRISEUS = gray.+
+The Gray Boletus.+

+Cap+ dark gray, 2 to 4 inches broad, broadly convex, smooth, soft, silky, flesh whitish. Tubes adnate, slightly depressed, mouths small. +Stem+ 2 to 4 inches long, 3 to 6 lines thick, yellowish, much reticulated, sometimes reddish toward the base. Our plant was of a brownish color at base, and grew in the month of September.

+PSALLIOTA CAMPESTRIS = a field.+
+The Common Mushroom.+

There are several edible species of the genus Psalliota, chiefly the Field or Common Mushroom, which is constantly seen on our tables. +Cap+ varies from white and gray to brown. It is 2 to 4 inches broad, fleshy, convex, then flattened, dry, sometimes covered with silky fibrils, and when old smooth. The margin of the cap generally extends beyond the gills. Flesh white. +Stem+ rather short, 1 to 3 inches long, ⅓ to ⅔ inch thick, white or whitish, slender, stuffed and then hollow, nearly even. +Ring+ distant, simple. +Gills+ free, ventricose, narrowing at both ends, thin, first a pink color, then afterward brown or blackish-brown. It grows in rich pastures or in meadows, and is found in autumn. It has a most delicious flavor.

+AGARICUS PLACOMYCES.+
+The Flat-capped Mushroom.+

+Cap+ a whitish-gray, about 3 inches broad, convex, and then expanded and flat. It is covered with small, distinct, brown, persistent scales, except on the disc, where they are so close together that they appear of a brown color. +Stem+ is long and slender, 3 inches and more, stuffed and then hollow, equal and bulbous at the base. It is whitish, but sometimes has yellowish stains toward the base. +Gills+ are first white, then pink, and lastly a blackish-brown. It grows under trees, and is found in summer and autumn.

+COPRINTUS ATRAMENTARIUS = ink.+
+The Inky Coprinus.+

+Cap+ gray or grayish-brown, smooth, except a slight scaly appearance on the disc. It is silky near the margin, and the margin is irregular. When young it is often egg-shaped. +Gills+ crowded, whitish, soon becoming brown and then deliquescent. +Stem+ smooth, hollow, white. It grows in clusters until late in the autumn. We found our plants on a lawn in great profusion in the month of October.

+PLUTEUS CERVINUS = a deer.+
+The Fawn-colored Pluteus.+

+Cap+ about 3 inches broad, whitish-gray color, at first bell-shaped, then expanded, smooth, even, but afterward broken up into fibrils, margin entire; flesh soft, white. +Stem+ 3 to 6 inches long, nearly equal and solid, whitish, striate with black fibrils. +Gills+ rounded behind, free, crowded, ventricose, white, then flesh color as the spores mature. This is a common species, appearing early in the season--April to November. It usually grows from stumps and old logs. It can be easily known by its gills, being quite free from the stem, where it joins the pileus.

MUSHROOMS WITH A GREEN COLORED CAP.

+RUSSULA VIRESCENS = green.+
+The Greenish Russula.+

+Cap+ of a grayish-green color. It is 2 to 4 inches broad, dry and broken up into small warts, the margin straight, obtuse, even; flesh white. +Stem+ 2 inches long and ½ inch thick, solid, spongy inside, firm, white, sometimes marked with lines (rivulose.) +Gills+ free, whitish, narrowed toward the stem, somewhat crowded, sometimes equal and forked, with a few shorter ones between. It is easily distinguished by the dull green pileus, being without a cuticle, and scaly in the form of patches. It is found in woods in July and September. We have not seen a specimen of R. virescens, so have used Stevenson’s description. Edible, taste mild.

+RUSSULA FURCATA = a fork.+
+The Forked Russula.+

+Cap+ from 3 to 5 inches broad, of an olive green color, sometimes greenish umber, covered with a silky bloom, fleshy, gibbous, then plano-depressed and funnel-shaped, cuticle here and there separable; margin at first inflexed, then spreading. Flesh firm, thick, white. +Stem+ 2 to 3 inches long, solid, firm, stout, white. +Gills+ adnato-decurrent, thick, distant, broad, narrowed at both ends, often forked, white. Our specimen was 5 inches broad, and the margin slightly striate, and when the cuticle was removed it was purplish underneath. It was found in August, in woods. Poisonous, taste bitter.

MUSHROOMS WITH WHITE COLORED CAP.

+AMANITA VIROSA = poison.+
+The Poisonous Amanita.+

+Cap+ shining white, from 2½ to 4 inches broad, fleshy, at first conical and acute, afterward bell-shaped and expanded, viscous in wet weather, shining when dry, margin even, sometimes unequal, spreading and inflexed, flesh white. +Stem+ 4 to 6 inches long, wholly stuffed, almost solid, split up into lengthwise fibrils, cylindrical from a bulbous base, surface torn into scales, springing from a loose, thick, wide volva which bursts open at apex. +Ring+ large, loose, silky, splitting into pieces. +Gills+ free, thin, a little broader toward margin, crowded, not decurrent, though the stem is sometimes striate. This is a poisonous species, but striking in appearance from the shining white of the whole fungus. Found in the woods in August.

+AMANITA PHALLOIDES = appearance, phallus-like.+
+The Death Cup.+