Chapter V: Appendix: B

Through the courtesy of Mr. Hollis Webster, Secretary of the Boston Mycological Club, the following list of mushrooms, which have been collected and eaten by members of that club during the past year, has been supplied to me:

AMANITA.

A. _Caesarea_ Scop., "True Orange."
A. _rubescens_ Persoon.
A. _vaginata_ Bull.

LEPIOTA.

L. _procera_ Scop., "Parasol Mushroom."
L. _rachodes_ Vilt.
L. _Americana_ Pk.
L. _naucinoides_.

ARMILLARIA.

A. _mellea_ Vahl, "Honey Mushroom."

TRICHOLOMA.

T. _equestre_ L.
T. _sejunctum_ Low, "Yellow Blusher."
T. _portentosum_ Fr.
T. _coryphacum_ Fr.
T. _russula_ Schaeff.
T. _columbetta_ Fr.
T. _gambosum_ Fr., "St. George's Mushroom."
T. _personatum_.
T. _nudum_.

HYGROPHORUS.

H. _virgineus_ Fr.
H. _fuligineus_ Frost.
H. _flavo discus_ Frost, "Yellow Sweet-Bread."
H. _hypothejus_ Fr.
H. _puniceus_ Fr.

LACTARIUS.

L. _piperatus_ Fr.
L. _deliciosus_ Fr.
L. _volemus_ Fr.

RUSSULA.

R. _virescens_ Fr.
R. _lepida_ Fr.
R. _punctata_ Gt.
R. _aurata_ Fr.
R. _ochracea_ Fr.
R. _alutacea_ Fr.

CANTHARELLUS.

C. _cibarius_ Fr.
C. _umbonatus_ Fr.

MARASMIUS.

M. _oreades_ Fr., "Fairy Ring."
M. _scorodonius_ Fr.
M. _alliaceus_ Fr.

HYPHOLOMA.

H. _sublateritium_ Schaeff.
H. _candolleanum_ Fr.
H. _perplexum._
H. _appendiculatum_ Bull.

COPRINUS.

C. _comatus_ Fr., "Shaggy Mane."
C. _ovatus_ Fr.
C. _atramentarius_.
C. _micaceus_ Fr.
C. _fimetarius_ Fr.

CORTINARIUS.

C. _turmalis_ Fr.
C. _sebaceus_ Fr.
C. _caerulescens_ Fr.
C. _collinitus_ Fr.
C. _violaceus_ Fr.
C. _albo violaceus_ Pers.
C. _cinnamomeus_ Fr.
C. _cinnamomeus_ var. _semi-sanguineus_ Fr.

CLITOCYBE.

C. _clavipes_ Fr.
C. _odora_ Fr.
C. _dealbata_ Low.
C. _laccata_ Scop.
C. _multiceps_ Pk.
C. _infundibuliformis_ Schaeff.

COLLYBIA.

C. _dryophila_ Bull.
C. _velutipes_ Curt.

PLEUROTUS.

P. _ostreatus_ Fr.
P. _sapidus_ Kalch.
P. _ulmarius_ Fr., Elm-tree Mushroom.
P. _pluteus cervinus_ Schaeff.

CLITOPILUS.

C. _prunulus_ Scop.
C. _orcella_ Bull.
C. _unitinctus_ Pk.
C. _Seymourianus_ Pk.

PHOLIOTA.

P. _caperata_ Pers., "The Gypsy."
P. _praecox_ (when too old is bitter).
P. _adiposa_.

AGARICUS (Psalliota).

A. _arvensis_.
A. _cretaceus_ Fr.
A. _campester_ L.
A. _silvicola_ Vilt.

SPARASSIS.

S. _crispa_ Fr.

CLAVARIA.

(Any and all Clavarias found are generally eaten by us without identification).

C. _botrytes_ Pers.
C. _amethystina_ Bull.
C. _coralloides_ L.
C. _cinerea_ Bull.
C. _aurea_ Schaeff.
C. _rugosa_ Bull.
C. _pistillaris_ L.

LYCOPERDON.

L. _cyathiforme_ Bose.
L. _giganteum_ Batsch.
L. _pyriforme_ Schaeff.
L. _saccatum_ Fr.

MORCHELLA.

M. _esculenta_ Bull.
M. _conica_ Pers.

PEZIZA.

P. _aurantia_ Vahl.

STROBILOMYCES.

S. _strobilaceus_ Berk.

FISTULINA.

F. _hepatica_ Fr., "Beef Steak Mushroom."

POLYPORUS.

P. _betulinus_ Fr. (coriaceous when old).
P. _sulphureus_ Fr.

HYDNUM.

H. _imbricatum_ L.
H. _repandum_ L.
H. _caput-medusae_ Bull.

Also thirteen of the Boleti.

STUDENT'S HAND-BOOK
OF
MUSHROOMS OF AMERICA

EDIBLE AND POISONOUS.

BY
THOMAS TAYLOR, M. D.

AUTHOR OF FOOD PRODUCTS, ETC.

Published in Serial Form--=No. 3=--Price, 50c. per number.

WASHINGTON, D. C.:
A. R. Taylor, Publisher, 238 Mass. Ave. N.E.
1897.

PLATE E.

Plate E illustrates various forms and positions of the annulus or ring characteristic of certain species of mushrooms, together with the cortina or veil of which the ring, if present, is the remnant, in some species, either as it appears entire or as a fringe on the margin of the cap, contrasting these forms with a sectional view of a species in which the veil or ring is always wanting.

Fig. 1. Ring broad, reflexed or deflexed, or both; situated high up on the stem, as in _Armillaria mellea_.

Fig. 2. Ring situated about midway of the stem, deflexed and pendulous as in _Amanita muscaria_.

Fig. 3. Ring about half midway of the stem, split, and radiating outwards, as in _Agaricus arvensis_.

Fig. 4. Ring drooping.

Fig. 5. Ring persistent, movable, wholly detached, in age, from the tall and slender stem, upon which it easily slips up and down. A species of great beauty, _Lepiota procera_.

Fig. 6. Ring narrow, scarcely perceptible above the middle of the stem; remnants of the veil adhering to the margin of the cap as a fugacious web.

Fig. 7. Ring generally wanting--_Tricholoma nudum_. Remnants of the veil seen on the margin of the cap.

Fig. 8. Remnants of the veil appearing on the margin of the cap as a fringe, and particularly on the stem as a mere fibrillose zone of a darker color as in the _Cortinarii_.

Fig. 9. Plant exhibiting the cortina unbroken, the extremities of its delicate arachnoid threads attached to cap and stem, respectively.

Fig. 10. Section of a Russula, in which genus the ring is always wanting; veil none.

PLATE F.

Plate F illustrates by section or otherwise various forms of these gill-like processes characteristic of species, considered either with regard to marginal outline or position of their posterior extremity:

Fig. 1. Gills distant.
Fig. 2. Gills crowded.
Fig. 3. Gills flexuose.
Fig. 4. Gills unequal.
Fig. 5. Bifurcated.
Fig. 6. Anastomosing veins.
Fig. 6a. Sectional view.
Fig. 7. Gills narrow.
Fig. 8. Gills broad.
Fig. 9. Lanceolate.
Fig. 10. Ventricose.
Fig. 11. Anteriorly rounded.
Fig. 12. Posteriorly rounded.
Fig. 13. Emarginate.
Fig. 14. Emarginate and denticulate.

Copyright, 1897, by
Thomas Taylor, M. D.,
and
A. R. Taylor.

AGARICINI.

_Subgenus Hypholoma_. Hymenophore continuous with the stem, veil woven into a fugacious web, which adheres to the margin of the pileus. Gills adnate or sinuate; spores brownish purple, sometimes intense purple, almost black.--M. C. Cooke.

This subgenus has been divided into the following five groups:

1. Fasciculares.--Pileus smooth, tough, bright colored when dry, not hygrophanous. Examples, Ag. (Hypholoma) _sublateritius_ and Ag. (Hypholoma) _fascicularis_.

2. Viscidi.--Pileus naked, viscid. Example, Ag. (Hypholoma) _oedipus_.

3. Velutini.--Pileus silky, with innate fibrils. Example, Ag. (Hypholoma) _velutinus_.

4. Flocculosi.--Pileus clad with floccose superficial evanescent scales. Example, Ag. (Hypholoma) _cascus_.

5. Appendiculati.--Pileus smooth and hygrophanous. Example, Ag. (Hypholoma) _Candollianus_.

The species are not numerous. They are generally either gregarious or caespitose, and are often found in clusters upon tree stumps, or springing from the buried roots of stumps. A few species are found in short grass in open places; but few are recorded as edible, and one, H. _fascicularis_, has been classed as deleterious by Berkeley, Cooke, and some of the earlier authors. I find, however, no authenticated case of poisoning by this species, and, indeed, have as yet found no species of Hypholoma which could be satisfactorily identified as H. fascicularis.

The few species of Hypholoma which I have tested have been palatable, and one or two are of very delicate flavor.

PLATE VIII.

=Ag. (Hypholoma) sublateritius= Schaeff. "_Red Tuft_." (=Hypholoma
sublateritium=) "_The Brick Top_."

EDIBLE.

The cap of this species is fleshy and obtuse, convexo-plane, sometimes showing a superficial whitish cloudiness upon the margin coming from the veil, which soon disappears, leaving it smooth and dry; color tawny brick red, with pale straw margin; flesh compact and whitish, turning yellow when wilted. Stem stuffed and fibrillose, tapering downward. Near its attachment to the cap the color is very light yellow; lower down and towards the root it is covered with patches and lines of burnt sienna color. It bears no distinct ring. In very young plants the filmy veil is sometimes perceived, reaching from the margin of the cap to the stem. This disappears as the cap expands, sometimes leaving the stem obscurely annulate. Gills adnate in full-grown specimens, slightly decurrent, somewhat crowded, dingy white or cinereous, turning to dark olive, never yellow; in old or wilted specimens changing to a dark brown. In old specimens the cap is a reddish brown and the gills are sometimes stained with the purplish brown of the spores.

This is a very common species and very abundant in pine and oak woods. I have seen an oak stump in Prince George's County, Md., measuring from 3 to 4 feet in height, literally covered with mushrooms of this species. This mushroom has been recorded as suspicious by some writers, probably owing to its slightly bitter taste, but I have thoroughly tested its edible qualities, both uncooked and prepared in various ways for the table, using the caps only. It keeps well when dried, and when ground into powder, with the addition of boiling water and a little pepper and salt, makes a very pleasant and nutritious beverage. It is most abundant in the early autumn, and is gathered in this latitude well into the winter, even when the snow is on the ground.

Our American plant is less heavy and more graceful in aspect than the same species in England, as figured in English works, but the general characteristics are the same.

Ag. (Hypholoma) _fascicularis_ Hudson, recorded as deleterious, is figured in "Cooke's Illustrations."

Dr. Berkeley thus distinguishes these two species from each other. Cap of _sublateritius_ is obtuse, discoid; that of _fascicularis_, subumbonate. Flesh of the former, compact, dingy-white; that of the latter, yellow. Stem in _sublateritius_ is "stuffed," attenuated downwards, ferruginous; stem of _fascicularis_ hollow, thin, flexuose. The gills in both species are adnate, crowded; but in _fascicularis_ they are also linear and deliquescent, and are _yellow_ in color.

NOTE.--In the Friesian arrangement of the genera of the order Agaricini, which is adopted by M. C. Cooke, Hypholoma finds place as a subgenus of the genus Agaricus, spore series Pratelli. Saccardo in his Sylloge elevates Hypholoma to the rank of a separate genus and places it in his spore series Melanosporae.

PLATE IX.

=Agaricus (Hypholoma) incertus= Peck. (_Hypholoma incertum_.)

EDIBLE.

Cap fleshy but fragile, smooth and hygrophanous, moist; at first convex, then expanding; color creamy white. Gills adnate, narrow, crowded, whitish in young specimens, turning to a pinkish dun color, later to a rosy cinnamon, sometimes showing when mature a slightly purplish tint. Stem smooth, slender, long and hollow, with slight striations near the apex, white. Specimens occur in which the stem is obscurely annulate arising from the attachment to it of fragments of the veil, but usually it is ringless.

The typical species of Hypholoma have the fleshy part of the cap confluent with the stem, but in H. _incertum_ the stem is not confluent and is easily separated from the cap as in the Lepiotas. This mushroom was first recorded by Peck in his early reports as the variety "_incertus_" of the species Agaricus (Hypholoma) Candollianus, but has since been recorded by Saccardo as a distinct species, Hypholoma incertum.

Two species of Hypholoma have the same habit and sufficiently resemble _incertum_ to be taken for it, if not carefully examined as to points of difference. These are H. _Candollianum_, named in honor of A. De Candolle, and H. _appendiculatum_. In the first named of these two species the cap is whitish, the gills at first violet in color, changing to dark cinnamon brown. In H. appendiculatum the pileus is rugose when dry, and sprinkled with atoms. It is darker in color than that of H. incertum; Cooke says tawny or pale ochre; Massee says bay, then tawny. The gills are sub-adnate, in color resembling those of H. incertum; stem slender, smooth, and white.

From the foregoing it will be seen that H. _incertum_ agrees more nearly with H. _Candollianum_ in the color of the cap, but more nearly with H. _appendiculatum_ in the color of the gills. Saccardo recognizes the three as "distinct species of the _genus Hypholoma_." As all are edible, the slight differences observed are interesting chiefly to the mycologist. The mycophagist will find them equally valuable from a gastronomic point of view. In taste they resemble the common mushroom. They are more fragile, however, and require less cooking than the cultivated mushroom. Broiled on toast or cooked for ten minutes in a chafing dish, they make a very acceptable addition to the lunch menu.

The specimens figured in Plate IX were selected from a crop of thirty or more growing in the author's garden, in very rich soil at the base of a plum-tree stump. For several seasons past small crops have been gathered from the same spot, as well as around the base of a flourishing peach tree. Quantities of all three species have been gathered in the short grass of the Capitol grounds for a number of seasons, and in the various parks of the District of Columbia. Specimens have been received from western New York and Massachusetts. Those growing upon soil very heavily fertilized are apt to be somewhat stouter and shorter stemmed than those coming up through the short grass in the parks.

ANALYTICAL TABLE.

The following compendious analytical table showing prominent characteristics of the leading genera and subgenera of the order Agaricini, according to Fries, Worthington Smith, and other botanists, which appears in Cooke's Hand Book, revised edition, will be found helpful to the collector in determining the genus to which a specimen may belong.

ORDER AGARICINI

I. Spores white or very slightly tinted--Leucospori
1. Plant fleshy, more or less firm, putrescent (neither
deliquescent nor coriaceous)
2. Hymenophore free
3. Pileus bearing warts or patches free from the
cuticle (volvate) _Amanita_
3. Pileus scaly, scales concrete with the cuticle
(not volvate) _Lepiota_
2. Hymenophore confluent
4. Without cartilaginous bark
5. Stem central
6. With a ring _Armillaria_
6. Ringless
7. Gills sinuate _Tricholoma_
7. Gills decurrent
8. Edge acute _Clitocybe_
8. Edge swollen obtuse CANTHARELLUS
7. Gills adnate
9. Parasitic on other Agarics NYCTALIS
9. Not parasitic
10. Milky LACTARIUS
10. Not milky
11. Rigid and brittle RUSSULA
11. Waxy HYGROPHORUS
5. Stem lateral or absent _Pleurotus_
4. With cartilaginous bark
12. Gills adnate _Collybia_
12. Gills sinuate _Mycena_
12. Gills decurrent _Omphalia_
1. Plant tough, coriaceous or woody
13. Stem central.
14. Gills simple MARASMIUS
14. Gills branched XEROTUS
13. Stem lateral or wanting
15. Gills toothed LENTINUS
15. Gills not toothed PANUS
15. Gills channelled longitudinally or crisped TROGIA
15. Gills splitting longitudinally SCHIZOPHYLLUM
15. Gills anastomosing LENZITES

II. Spores rosy or salmon color--Hyporhodii
16. Without cartilaginous bark
17. Hymenophore free
18. With a volva _Volvaria_
18. Without a volva
19. With a ring _Annularia_
19. Ringless _Pluteus_
17. Hymenophore confluent, not free
20. Stem central
21. Gills adnate or sinuate _Entoloma_
21. Gills decurrent _Clitopilus_
20. Stem lateral or absent _Claudopus_
16. With cartilaginous bark
22. Gills decurrent _Eccilia_
22. Gills not decurrent
23. Pileus torn into scales _Leptonia_
23. Pileus papillose, sub-campanulate.
24. Gills membranaceous, persistent _Nolanea_
24. Gills sub-deliquescent BOLBITIUS

III. Spores brownish, sometimes rusty, reddish or
yellowish brown.--Dermini.
25. Without cartilaginous bark.
26. Stem central.
27. With a ring.
28. Ring continuous _Pholiota_
28. Ring arachnoid, like a spider's
web filamentous or evanescent.
29. Gills adnate terrestrial CORTINARIUS
29. Gills decurrent, or acutely adnate,
mostly epiphytal, _Flammula_
27. Without a ring.
30. With rudimentary volva _Acetabularia_
30. Without a volva.
31. Gills adhering to the hymenophore,
and sinuate.
32. Cuticle fibrillose or silky _Inocybe_
32. Cuticle smooth viscid _Hebeloma_
31. Gills separating from the
hymenophore, and decurrent, PAXILLUS
26. Stem lateral or absent _Crepidotus_
25. With cartilaginous bark.
33. Gills decurrent _Tubaria_
33. Gills not decurrent.
34. Margin of pileus at first incurved _Naucoria_
34. Margin of pileus always straight.
35. Hymenophore free _Pluteolus_
35. Hymenophore confluent _Galera_

IV. Spores purple, sometimes brownish purple, dark purple,
or dark brown.--Pratellae.
36. Without cartilaginous bark.
37. Hymenophore free.
38. With a volva _Chitonia_
38. Without a volva _Psalliota_
37. Hymenophore confluent.
39. Veil normally ring shaped on the stem _Stropharia_
39. Veil normally adhering to the margin of
the pileus _Hypholoma_
36. With cartilaginous bark.
40. Gills decurrent _Deconica_
40. Gills not decurrent.
41. Margin of pileus at first incurved _Psilocybe_
41. Margin of pileus at first straight _Psathyra_

V. Spores black or nearly so.--Coprinarii.
42. Gills deliquescent COPRINUS
42. Gills not deliquescent.
43. Gills decurrent GOMPHIDIUS
43. Gills not decurrent.
44. Pileus striate _Psathyrella_
44. Pileus not striate _Panaeolus_

In the Friesian classification which, with modifications, has prevailed for many years among mycologists, the _genus Agaricus_ included in its _subgenera_ the greater part of the species of the order _Agaricini_. The subgenera, printed in the above table in italics, were included in this genus. The genera are printed in capitals. In the Saccardian system, all the _subgenera_ of _Agaricus_ having been elevated to _generic_ rank, the term Agaricus is limited to a very small group which includes the _subgenus Psalliota_ of Fries, the species being characterized by fleshy caps, free gills, ringed stem, and dark brown or purplish brown spores. As restricted, it naturally falls into the spore series _Melanosporeae._

In the white-spored section, Leucospori, the recorded edible species occur in the following genera: Marasmius, Cantharellus, Lactarius, Russula, Hygrophorus, Collybia, Pleurotus, Clitocybe, Tricholoma, Armillaria, Lepiota, and Amanita. The plants of Marasmius are usually thin and dry, reviving with moisture. Cantharellus is characterized by the obtuseness of the edges of the lamellae, Lactarius by the copious milky or sticky fluid which exudes from the plants when cut or bruised. Russula is closely allied to Lactarius, and the plants bear some resemblance in external appearance to those of that genus, but they are never milky, and the gills are usually rigid and brittle. In Hygrophorus the plants are moist, not very large, often bright colored, and the gills have a waxy appearance. The Collybias are usually caespitose, the stems exteriorly cartilaginous, in some species swelling and splitting open in the centre.

In Pleurotus the stem is lateral or absent. The plants are epiphytal, usually springing from the decaying bark of trees and old stumps.

In Clitocybe the plants are characterized by a deeply depressed, often narrow cap, with the gills acutely adnate, or running far down the stem, which is elastic, with a fibrous outer coat covered with minute fibers. Many of the species have a fragrant odor. The Tricholomas are stout and fleshy, somewhat resembling the Russulas, but distinguished from them by the sinuate character of the gills, which show a slight notched or toothed depression just before reaching the stem (represented in Fig. 4, Plate IV). Typical species of Armillaria show a well-defined ring and scales upon the stem, the remains of the partial veil, and the plants are usually large, and caespitose. The Lepiotas are recognized by the soft, thready character of the fleshy portion of the cap, and the fringed scales formed by the breaking of the cuticle. The ease with which the ringed stem is removed from its socket in the cap is another characteristic which distinguishes the plants from those of other genera.

The Amanitas are distinguished by the volva, which sheathes the somewhat bulbous stem at its base and the ring and veil which in the young plant are very distinct features, the whole plant in embryo being enveloped in the volva.

The Amanita group, besides containing some very good edible species, is also credited with containing the most dangerous species of all the mushroom family, and some which are undoubtedly fatal in their effects.[A]

[A] A more detailed description of this group will appear in No. 5 of this series.

The Nyctali are minute mushrooms parasitic on other mushrooms.

In Omphalia, the plants are quite small, with membranaceous caps, gills truly decurrent, and cartilaginous stems.

The Myceneae are generally very small, slender, and fragile, usually caespitose, with bell-shaped caps, sinuate gills, not decurrent, and cartilaginous stems. In some species the plants exude a milky juice.

In the genera Panus, Lentinus, Lenzites, Schizophyllum, Xerotus, and Trogia, the plants are leathery or coriaceous, dry and tough, and though none are recorded as poisonous, they are too tough to be edible.

The mushrooms having pink or salmon colored spores, section Rhodosporii, form the smallest of the four primary groups of Agaricini, the number of known species not exceeding 400, and most of these are tasteless, or of disagreeable odor, while some are recorded as unwholesome.

The species are pink-gilled when mature, though often white or whitish when very young.

The recorded edible species are found in Volvaria, Clitopilus, and Pluteus. The Volvariae are characterized by the very large and perfect volva which wraps the base of the stem in loose folds, the ringless stem, and the pink, soft, liquescent gills, which are free and rounded behind. The cap is not warted; in some species it is viscid, and in _bombycinus_, recorded by several authors as edible, and by some as doubtful, it is covered with a silky down.

In Clitopilus the odor of the edible species is more or less mealy. The cap is fleshy, and the margin at first involute. Two edible species which closely resemble each other--viz., Clitopilus _prunulus_, "Plum mushroom," and Clitopilus _orcella_, "Sweetbread mushroom,"--are highly recommended for their delicacy of flavor.

In Leptonia most of the species are small, thin, and brittle, corresponding with Mycena in the white-spored series, and with Psathyra and Psathyrella in the dark-spored series.

Eccilia corresponds with Omphalia. Claudopus corresponds with Pleurotus in its habit of growth and lateral stem, differing in the color of the spores.

Annularia includes only a few small species having a ringed stem, no volva, and free pink gills. Cooke says of this subgenus that no British species are known.

The recorded species of Pluteus have their habitat on tree stumps, sawdust, or upon fallen timber. One species, Pluteus _cervinus_, is recorded as edible, but not specially commended. Of Entoloma, Worthington Smith says, "It is allied to Tricholoma, though most of the species are thinner and often brittle. It agrees also in structure with Hebeloma and Hypholoma." None of the species are recorded as having value as esculents.

The genus Bolbitius is described by Cooke as a small genus intermediate between Agaricus and Coprinus on the one side, and Coprinus and Cortinarius on the other. The species are small and ephemeral. Saccardo places Bolbitius in his division Melanosporae, although the spores are ochraceous.

In the section Pratelli Psalliota and Hypholoma contain mushrooms which are of exceptionally fine flavor. In the first of these is found the common field mushroom Agaricus campester and its allies.

The black-spored section Coprinarii contains two genera which include a few recorded edible species, viz., Coprinus and Gomphidius. The Psathyrellas correspond in size to the Mycenas in the white-spored series and to the Psathyras in the purple-spored section; the gills are free or adnate and turn black when mature. None of the species are edible.

In Paneolus the plants are somewhat viscid when moist, the gills are described as "clouded, never becoming purple or brown." They are usually found on manure heaps near cities. None are edible.

Saccardo in his Sylloge combines the Pratellae and Coprinarii, making of them one section which he calls _Melanosporeae_.

G. Massee, the British mycologist, makes of the black-spored and the purple and purplish-brown spored series two divisions, calling them, respectively, _Porphyrosporeae_ and _Melanosporeae_.

The recorded edible species of the spore section Dermini are found in Pholiota, Cortinarius, and Paxillus. The larger proportion of the Pholiotas grow upon tree stumps. They have a fugacious, persistent friable ring, and are liable to be confused with the Cortinarii, unless attention is paid to the spidery veil and the iron-rust tint of the spores of the latter. Only a few of the species are recorded as edible, but none are known to be poisonous. Cortinarius is a large genus. It contains a larger proportion of edible species than Pholiota, and none are recorded as poisonous. The cobweb-like veil which extends from stem to margin of cap in the young species, and the rust-colored spores which dust the gills as the species mature, distinguish the genus from all others.

A characteristic feature of Paxillus, and one which makes it easily distinguishable from others of the same group, is the ease with which the gills as a whole can be separated from the substance or fleshy portion of the cap. There is an exception to this in the species Paxillus involutus, recorded by Peck as edible.

POLYPOREI.

Hymenium lining the cavity of tubes or pores which are sometimes broken up into teeth or concentric plates.--Berkeley's Outlines.

The plants of this second primary group or order of the family Hymenomycetes exhibit a greater dissimilarity of form and texture than do those of the Agaricini. Some of its genera consist almost wholly of coriaceous or woody plants. A few contain fleshy ones. Some of the species have a distinct stem, while others are stemless. With regard to the receptacle in the plants of the genera _Boletus_, _Strobilomyces_, etc., it forms a perfect cap, like that of the common Agaric, a cushion of tubes taking the place of gills on the under surface of the cap, the hymenium in this case lining the inner surface of the tubes from which the spores drop when mature.

In some species, such as those of the genus Poria, the receptacle is reduced to a single thin fibrous stratum, adhering closely to the matrix and exposing a surface of crowded pores, and in others it consists of fibrous strata formed in concentric layers.

A number of groups, each of which was treated in the original Friesian classification as a single genus, have more recently been recognized as comprising several distinct genera. In the Saccardian system the genera Trametes, Daedalea, Merulius, Porothelium, and Fistulina still retain the generic rank assigned to them by Fries, but the old genus Boletus is subdivided into four genera, Boletus, Strobilomyces, Boletinus, and Gyrodon, while Polyporus, originally a very large genus, is subdivided into the genera Polyporus, Fomes, Polystictus, and Poria. This arrangement was in part suggested by Fries in his later works, and is accepted by M. C. Cooke, as indicated in his latest work on fungi.

Quoting M. C. Cooke, "_Strobilomyces_ is _Boletus_ with a rough warty and scaly pileus; _Boletinus_ is _Boletus_ with short, large radiating pores; and _Gyrodon_ is _Boletus_ with elongated sinuate irregular pores, all fleshy, firm fungi of robust habit, possessing stem and cap." The species of the genus Polyporus as now restricted are somewhat fleshy in the young stage, shrinking as they mature and dry, and becoming indurated with age. In Fomes the species, of woody consistency from the first, have no room for shrinkage, and are quite rigid; the tubes being in strata, and the strata growing yearly, the species are virtually perennial. The pileus of the plant shows a rigid polished crust resulting from resinous exudations.

In Polystictus the plants are usually small, thin, tough, and irregular in outline, the tubes exceedingly short, with thin walls, which easily split up, giving the pores at times a toothed or fringed appearance. The surface is velvety, or hairy, and zoned in varying colors. They are very common upon decaying tree stumps, often covering the surface of the stump in gaily colored layers. Not esculent.

Poria is composed of resupinate species with the pores normally in a single series, the whole stratum spread over, and adhering to the matrix. The species are coriaceous or woody. Not esculent.

The plants of the genus Trametes allied to Fomes are epiphytal, with the trama the same in substance and color as the hymenophore. The tubes do not form in regular strata, but are sunk into the substance of the pileus. The plants are coriaceous, and none are edible.

Daedalea closely resembles _Trametes_ with the tubes forming deep labyrinthiform depressions. Whole plant woody, sessile.

Hexagonia, allied by its characteristics to Polystictus, has large hexagonal pores, with firm, entire dissepiments.

In Favolus the plants are slightly fleshy and substipitate with the pores angular, and radiating from the stem. Not edible.

The species of the genus Laschia are recognized by the shallow irregular pores and the vein like character of their dissepiments (or pore walls). Substance slightly gelatinous.

In the plants of Porothelium, irregular papillae take the place of tubes, and the plants are sub-membranaceous and resupinate, having the habit of those of Poria.

The genus Merulius has been termed the lowest and most imperfect of the genera of Polyporei. It presents a soft, waxy spore-bearing surface, reticulated with obtuse folds. Solenia, by early authors placed in Discomycetes, thence transferred to Auricularini, and by some authors associated with Cyphella in Theleporei, now finds place as one of the genera of Polyporei as given by Saccardo.

The above-mentioned genera, together with Myriadoporus, Ceriomyces, Bresadolia, Theleporus, Gloeporus, and Cyclomyces, constitute the Polyporeae of the Saccardian system.

_Myriadoporus_ is a North American genus. It is a form of the genus Polyporus, but with pores in the _interior_ as well as on the _exterior_ surface. _Ceriomyces_ is generally regarded as a spurious genus. It is similar to _Myriadoporus_, but with internal pores and only spurious pores externally. Of _Bresadolia_ Cooke says "there is only one described species, and of this only one specimen has been found." _Theleporus_ is an African genus of which only one species is known. _Gloeporus_ is a form of resupinate Polyporus, except that the hymenium or pore-bearing surface is gelatinous instead of being firm. _Cyclomyces_ is a genus with some features of Lenzites; it is leathery. All of these are more or less coriaceous. None are edible. _Campbellia_ is a new genus. It is _Merulius_ with a pileus and central stem.

The edible Polyporeae are found in the genera Boletus, Strobilomyces, Gyrodon, Boletinus, Polyporus, and Fistulina. Of these, the first four genera contain most of the edible species as well as a few which have been regarded as unwholesome or poisonous.

In the genus Polyporus as now restricted, the species Polyporus _sulphureus_ Fries is perhaps the one most likely to be selected for table use, the others becoming very quickly indurated or tough, and this should be gathered when very young, as in maturity it loses its fleshy consistency and becomes dry and tough. It is common on old tree stumps and is often found on the dead wood of living trees, the bright yellow and vivid orange red tints which characterize the young plant making it very conspicuous.

It is easily recognized by its irregular, closely overlapping frond-like caps, white flesh, and the very small sulphur-yellow tubes. The spores are white, elliptical. The flesh of young specimens is somewhat juicy.

The geographical distribution is wide, and in places where a moist, warm temperature prevails plants of this species often attain very large proportions, sometimes completely encircling the trunk of a tree at its base. The bright colors fade as the plant matures, and the plant becomes indurated and friable, when very old crumbling readily in the hands.

To prepare for the table, very thin slices of young specimens should be cut and either allowed to slowly simmer on the back of the range, or soaked in milk and then fried in butter.

Of the genus Fistulina but one species, Fistulina hepatica, figured in Plate X, is recorded as edible and indigenous to this country.

PLATE X.

=Fistulina hepatica= Bull. "_Beefsteak Mushroom_," "_Liver Fungus_."

EDIBLE.

_Genus Fistulina_ Bull. Hymenophore fleshy, hymenium inferior, that is, on the under surface of the cap, at first papillose; the papillae at length elongated, and forming distinct tubes.

Besides Fistulina _hepatica_, five species of this genus are recorded in Saccardo's Sylloge, viz., F. _radicata_ Schw., F. _spathulata_ B. & C., F. _pallida_ B. & R., F. _rosea_ Mont., and F. _antarctica_ Speg.; the last indigenous to Patagonia.

F. _hepatica_ is the only species with which I am familiar. The plants of this species are very irregular in form, rootless, epiphytal, often stemless, and sometimes attached to the matrix by a very short stem. This fungus is frequently found upon old oak, chestnut, and ash trees, developing in the rotting bark. It appears first as a rosy pimple, or in a series of red granules. In a very short time it becomes tongue-shaped, sometimes kidney shaped, assuming the color of a beet root. As it increases in size it changes form again, becoming broad in proportion to its length, and changing in color to a deep blood red, and finally to a dull liver tint. Its lower surface is often paler than its upper, it being tinged with yellow and pinkish hues.

One author states that it requires about two weeks to attain its highest development, after which it gradually decays.

It varies in size from a few inches to several feet in circumference. Rev. M. J. Berkeley mentions one which weighed thirty pounds. It has been styled, the "_poor man's fungus_," and in flavor resembles meat more than any other.

The substance is fleshy and juicy in the early stage. The pileus is papillose, the papillae elongated, and forming distinct tubes as the pileus expands. These tubes are separable from each other, and with age become approximate and jagged at their orifices. The tubes are at first yellowish, with a pink tinge, becoming dingy with age. The fleshy substance, or hymenophore, is often veined in light and dark red streaks. The juice is pellucid, red, and slightly acid. Spores at first nearly round, becoming elliptical, salmon color.

This fungus is esteemed in Europe, where it is eaten prepared in a variety of ways.

When young and tender it can be sliced and broiled or minced and stewed, making a delicious dish. When too old the stock is rather tough for good eating, but the gravy taken from it forms a rich flavoring for a vegetable stew or a meat ragout. The following recipe for cooking this mushroom has been recommended:

Slice and macerate it, add pepper and salt, a little lemon, and
chopped onions or garlic; then strain and boil the liquid, which
makes most excellent gravy, resembling that of good beefsteak.

The Fistulina hepatica is well known in Europe, and is found in different parts of the United States, in some places growing abundantly. I have gathered some fine specimens in Maryland and Virginia, but none as large as that described by Dr. Berkeley.

RECIPES FOR COOKING MUSHROOMS.

_To Pot Mushrooms._--The small open mushrooms suit best for potting. Trim and rub them; put into a stewpan a quart of mushrooms, 3 ounces of butter, 2 teaspoonfuls of salt, and half a teaspoonful of cayenne and mace, mixed, and stew for ten or fifteen minutes, or till the mushrooms are tender; take them carefully out and drain them perfectly on a sloping dish, and when cold press them into small pots and pour clarified butter over them, in which state they will keep for a week or two. Writing-paper placed over the butter, and over that melted suet, will effectually preserve them for weeks in a dry, cool place.

_To Pickle Mushrooms._--Select a number of sound, small pasture mushrooms, as nearly alike as possible in size. Throw them for a few minutes into cold water, then drain them, cut off the stalks, and gently rub off the outer skin with a moist flannel dipped in salt; then boil the vinegar, adding to each quart two ounces of salt, half a nutmeg grated, a dram of mace, and an ounce of white pepper corns. Put the mushrooms into the vinegar for ten minutes over the fire; then pour the whole into small jars, taking care that the spices are equally divided; let them stand a day, then cover them.

_Baked Mushrooms._--Peel the tops of twenty mushrooms; cut off a portion of the stalks and wipe them carefully with a piece of flannel dipped in salt. Lay the mushrooms in a tin dish, put a small piece of butter on the top of each, and season with pepper and salt. Set the dish in the oven and bake them from twenty minutes to half an hour. When done, arrange them high in the centre of a very hot dish, pour the sauce around them, and serve quickly and as hot as you possibly can.

_Mushrooms with Bacon._--Take some full-grown mushrooms, and, having cleaned them, procure a few rashers of nice streaky bacon and fry them in the usual manner. When nearly done add a dozen or so of mushrooms and fry them slowly until they are cooked. In this process they will absorb all the fat of the bacon, and with the addition of a little salt and pepper will form a most appetizing breakfast relish.

_Mushroom Pie._--A very good mushroom pie is made in the following manner: Chop a quart of mushrooms into small pieces, season to taste, and add one pound of round steak chopped fine and seasoned with a small piece of onion. If the steak is lean, add a small piece of suet, unless butter is preferred to give flavor. Put the chopped steak and mushrooms in deep saucepan with cover, and stew slowly until tender. Make a crust as for beefsteak pie and put in a deep earthern dish, lightly browning the under crust before adding the stew, and cover with a crust lightly punctured.

In some parts of Russia mushrooms form an important part of the diet of the people, especially during the Lenten season, when the fast of the Greek church is very strictly kept, and meat, fish, eggs, and butter are forbidden.

Provision is made for this season in the securing of quantities of dried and salted mushrooms, which are cut up in strips and made into salads with a dressing of olive oil and vinegar. The poorer classes to whom the olive oil is unattainable use the rape seed and other vegetable oils in the cooking of their mushrooms.

The following recipes are translated from a recently published Russian work on the subject of mushrooms, cultivated and wild:

Select fresh, sound Boleti, cut off the caps, and, after wiping clean with a napkin, place them in a sieve, pouring over them scalding water; when thoroughly drained, leave them where there is a free current of air until perfectly dry. Next string them upon stout twine, leaving spaces between to allow of free circulation of air. If convenient, they can be dried artificially by placing in a not too hot oven with the door open. Dried by either method, they can be kept all winter. Before using, they should be soaked in water or milk until soft. In this condition they make very good flavoring for soup or gravy, and can also be used as filling for pies.

_Mushrooms Cooked in Butter._--Wipe the mushrooms clean and dip in dry flour. Heat a quantity of butter to boiling temperature in a saucepan, seasoning with a small piece of onion. Drop the flour-covered mushrooms into the boiling butter, shaking the pan constantly over the fire. When the mushrooms are cooked add sour cream to taste. Before serving, sprinkle with grated muscat nut.

_Mushroom Pickle._--Select only young button mushrooms. Put them for a few moments in boiling water lightly salted and vinegared. Boil vinegar (only the best should be used), spicing it according to taste. Allow the vinegar to cool. Put the mushrooms in layers in a jar and pour over them enough spiced vinegar to cover. Seal tightly.

_Salted Piperites._--Only the caps are taken of the Lactarius piperites. They are placed first in salted scalding water for several minutes. The water is then gently pressed out with a napkin, the mushrooms are placed on sieves and cold water poured over them. They are then placed in layers in a jar, each layer sprinkled with salt, and whole pepper and minced onion scattered over the layer. When the jar is full a thin round board is placed upon the top layer and pressed down with weights, and as the mass gives way mushrooms are added until the jar is compactly filled. The jar is then covered with parchment or otherwise tightly sealed. Eight gallons of mushrooms require from one to one and a half glasses of salt. This makes a good salad when treated with oil.

NOTE.--L. piperites is an extremely acrid mushroom when in the raw state, and the Russians do not stew it, but prepare it in the above way, taking the precaution to scald thoroughly with salted water before putting away. The precaution of scalding through several waters is a wise one to use in the preparation of all mushrooms inasmuch as the poisonous principle of most mushrooms is soluble in scalding water. Dilute vinegar is frequently used in the same manner. Vinegar should not be used in metal vessels unless porcelain-lined.

LIST OF THE GENERA OF HYMENOMYCETES.

The following list of the genera of Hymenomycetes, summarized from Kellerman's Synopsis of Saccardo's Sylloge Fungorum, will be found useful for reference:

I.--AGARICACEAE.

_Leucosporeae._ (Spores white or slightly tinted yellowish.)

GENERA.

Amanita Pers.
Amanitopsis Roze.
Lepiota Fries.
Schulzeria Bres.
Armillaria Fries.
Tricholoma Fries.
Clitocybe Fries.
Collybia Fries.
Mycena Fries.
Hiatula Fries.
Omphalia Fries.
Pleurotus Fries.
Hygrophorus Fries.
Lactarius Fries.
Russula Pers.
Cantharellus Adans.
Arrhenia Fries.
Nyctalis Fries.
Stylobates Fries.
Marasmius Fries.
Heliomyces Lev.
Lentinus Fries.
Panus Fries.
Xerotus Fries.
Trogia Fries.
Lenzites Fries.
Tilotus Kalch.
Hymenogramme B. & Mont.
Oudemansiella Speg.
Pterophyllus Lev.
Rachophyllus Berk.
Schizophyllum Fries.

_Rhodosporae_ (spores pink or salmon color), corresponding to the Hyporhodii of Fries.

GENERA.

Volvaria Fr.
Annularia Schulz.
Pluteus Fries.
Entoloma Fries.
Clitopilus Fries.
Leptonia Fries.
Nolanea Fries.
Eccilia Fries.
Claudopus Worth. Smith.

_Ochrosporae_ (spores tawny ochraceous, or light rusty tint of brown), corresponding to the Dermini of Fries.

GENERA.

Pholiota Fries.
Locillina Gill.
Inocybe Fries.
Hebeloma Fries.
Flammula Fries.
Naucoria Fries.
Pluteolus Fries.
Galera Fries.
Tubaria Worth. Smith.
Crepidotus Fries.
Cortinarius Fries.
Paxillus Fries.

_Melanosporae_ (spores black, dark-brown or purplish-brown), combining the attributes of both the Coprinarii and the Pratelli of Fries.

GENERA.

Chitonia Fries.
Agaricus Linn.
Pilosace Fries.
Stropharia Fries.
Hypholoma Fries.
Psilocybe Fries.
Deconica Worth. Smith.
Psathyra Fries.
Bolbitius Fries.
Coprinus Pers.
Panaeolus Fries.
Annellaria Karsh.
Psathyrella Fries.
Gomphidius Fries.
Anthracophyllum Ces.
Montagnites Fries.

II.--POLYPORACEAE (Polyporei).

GENERA.

Boletus Dill.
Strobilomyces Berkeley.
Boletinus Kalchbr.
Gyrodon Opatowski.
Fistulina Bull.
Polyporus Mich.
Fomes Fries.
Polystictus Fries.
Poria Pers.
Trametes Fries.
Hexagonia Fries.
Daedalea Pers.
Myriadoporus Peck.
Ceriomyces Corda.
Bresadolia Speg.
Cyclomyces Kunz.
Favolus Fries.
Gloeoporus Mont.
Laschia Fries.
Merulius Hall.
Theleporus Fries.
Porothelium Fries.
Solenia Hoffm.

III.--HYDNACEAE (Hydnei).

GENERA.

Hydnum Linn.
Caldesiella Lace.
Hericium Pers.
Tremellodon Pers.
Sistotrema Pers.
Irpex Fries.
Radulum Fries.
Plebia Fries.
Lopharia K. & M. Ow.
Grandinia Fries.
Grammothele B. & C.
Odontia Pers.
Kneiffia Fries.
Mucronella Fries.

IV.--THELEPHORACEAE (Thelephorei).

GENERA.

Craterellus Fries.
Hypolyssus Pers.
Thelephora Ehrh.
Cladoderris Pers.
Beccariella Ces.
Stereum Pers.
Hymenochaete Lev.
Skepperia Berk.
Corticium Fries.
Peniophora Cooke.
Coniophora D. C.
Michenera B. & C.
Matula Mass.
Hypochnus Fries.
Exobasidium Weron.
Helicobasidium Pat.
Cyphella Fries.
Friesula Speg.
Cora Fries.
Rhipidonema Matt.

V.--CLAVARIACEAE (Clavariei).

GENERA.

Sparassis Fries.
Acartis Fries.
Clavaria Vaill.
Calocera Fries.
Lachnocladium Lev.
Pterula Fries.
Ptifula Pers.
Pistallaria Fries.
Physalacria Peck.

VI.--TREMELLACEAE (Tremellini)

GENERA.

Auricularia Bull.
Hirneola Fries.
Platygloea Schroet.
Exidia Fries.
Ulocolla Bref.
Craterocolla Bref.
Femsjonia Fries.
Tremella Dill.
Naematelia Fries.
Gyrocephalus Pers.
Delortia Pat. & Gail.
Arrhytidia Berk.
Ceracea Cragin.
Guepinia Fries.
Dacryomitra Pul.
Collyria Fries.

GENERA MINUS CERTA.

Hormonyces Bon.
Ditiola Fries.
Apyrenium Fries.

BREFIELD'S CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI.

A system of classification of fungi which is receiving attention from mycologists is that recently presented by the distinguished German author Dr. Oscar Brefield. Dr. Brefield's exhaustive investigations into the life-history of fungi in general have been such as to entitle his views to consideration, although the system presents some inconsistencies which may prevent its adoption in its entirety.

According to the Brefield system, as summarized by his colleague Dr. Von Tavel, Fungi are divided into two primary classes: (1) the _Phycomycetes,_ or lower fungi nearest like the algae, _consisting of a one-celled thallus with sexual as well as non-sexual modes of reproduction_, and (2) the Mesomycetes and the Mycomycetes, _having a divided or many celled thallus, propagated by non-sexually formed spores_. The Phycomycetes are further divided into two large sections, based on their methods of reproduction, termed, respectively, Zygomycetes and Oomycetes. These include the old typical Mucors, the Peronosporeae or "rotting moulds," once classed with the Hyphomycetes, the Saprolegniaceae, "Fish Moulds," of aquatic habit, the Entomophthoraceae, "Insect Moulds," together with some minor groups. The Mesomycetes connect the Phycomycetes with the Mycomycetes. The class Mycomycetes is primarily divided into two sections, viz., Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, with the Ustilagineae, "Smut Fungi," in Mesomycetes, forming a transitional group between Phycomycetes and the Basidiomycetal group of the higher fungi.

The Ascomycetes are primarily subdivided into _Exoasci_ and _Carpoasci,_ groups based on the character of the asci. In the first, _Exoasci,_ the asci are naked and borne directly on the mycelium; in the second, _Carpoasci,_ they are enclosed in a wrapper composed of fertile hyphae and sterile threads, having also accessory fruit forms. The first includes Endomycetes and Taphrineae. In the second are included the groups Gymnoasci, Perisporaceae, Pyrenomycetes, Hysteriaceae, Discomycetes, and Helvellaceae.

The Basidiomycetes characterized by the possession of basidia are arranged in two groups, based on the character of the basidia: (1) the Protobasidiomycetes, in which the basidia are septate, divided, and (2) the Autobasidiomycetes, in which the basidia are not divided, and bear a definite number of spores.

The first of these (Protobasidiomycetes) includes the following distinct groups: (1) the Uredineae, "Rust Fungi," which have horizontally divided basidia, always free, never enclosed; (2) the Auricularieae, having basidia somewhat resembling those of the Uredineae, but which are borne in fruit bodies with open hymenia; (3) Pileacreae, having horizontal septate basidia in closed receptacles; and (4) Tremellineae, having vertically divided basidia borne in gymnocarpous receptacles--that is, those in which the hymenium is exposed while the spores are growing.

The Autobasidiomycetes are characterized by undivided basidia, bearing spores only at the apex. This group is subdivided into three sections: (1) Dacryomycetes, which includes the lowest of the Tremelloid forms, with club-shaped basidia, nearly approaching the true Hymenomycetal type, together with several groups of minor import; (2) Gasteromycetes; and (3) Hymenomycetes, with Phalloideae placed in the group as a subsection of Gasteromycetes.

The above can only be considered as a very brief abstract of the system of classification proposed by Dr. Brefield, but it will serve to give some idea of the principle on which the system is based, which is sufficient for our present purpose. Those who wish to study the system in detail will find it treated in a comprehensive manner in Dr. Von Tavel's summary as it appears in the _Vergleichende Morphologie der Pilze_, Jena, 1892.

CONIOMYCETES AND HYPHOMYCETES.

In the original classification of Fries two of the primary divisions of the sporiferous Fungi were termed, respectively, _Coniomycetes_ and _Hyphomycetes_. This arrangement was accepted by Berkeley, the term _Coniomycetes_ being applied to all fungi in which the naked spores, appearing like an impalpable dust, were the principal feature of the plant, and the term _Hyphomycetes_ to fungi in which the threads or hyphae bearing the spores were the most conspicuous feature.

Coniomycetes, as broadly interpreted by Berkeley and other mycologists of his day, included the Uredineae or "rust fungi," the Ustilagines or "smut fungi," the Sphaeropsideae, and the Melanconieae. This arrangement was very unsatisfactory on account of the distinctively different character of the methods of reproduction of the respective groups, and they have since been disassociated and by some authors ranked as distinct orders or families. Others combine Uredinei and Ustilaginei in one group under the name Hypodermei.

Familiar examples of Uredinei are seen in the rust of the Barberry leaf, etc., and of the Ustilaginei in the "smut" of corn and the "bunt" of wheat.

Some authors combine the Sphaeropsideae with the closely allied Melanconieae. M. C. Cooke contends that the _Sphaeropsideae_ should be considered apart from the _Melanconieae,_ on the fundamental basis that the former possess a distinct perithecium, while the latter do not.

The _Sphaeropsideae_ as recently defined by Cooke are "Fungi _possessed of a perithecium, but without asci_, ... sporules or stylospores being produced internally at the apex of more or less distinct supporting hyphae or pedicels, termed sporophores."

The Sphaeropsideae somewhat resemble the Pyrenomyceteae in external characteristics, but differ from them in the absence of asci and paraphyses. Saccardo retains all the species in his Sylloge, but relegates them to an inferior position as imperfect fungi.

The group _Pyrenomycetes_, or _Sphaeriacei_, as at first recognized by _Fries_, included not only the _Sphaeriacei_ and the _Perisporacei_, but also the _Sphaeropsidei_ and _Melanconiaceae_. Later, when ascigerous fungi were separated from stylosporous fungi, this group was revised, the ascigerous species only being retained. As at present limited, the Pyrenomycetes are "_ascigerous_ fungi having the fructification enclosed within a perithecium."

They constitute a very large group, the described species, according to Cooke's Census of Fungi, numbering not less than 10,500, or at least 1,000 more than all the recorded species of Hymenomycetes. The plants are microscopic in size, and grow upon vegetable or animal substances.

HYPHOMYCETES.

With regard to the Hyphomycetes, Cooke takes the ground that in their internal relations to each other, and their external relations to the remaining orders, the Hyphomycetes are undoubtedly a well-defined and natural group, and should have place as such in a systematic work. It is a large order, containing nearly 5,000 species, mostly parasitic on dead animals and vegetable matter. The spores, termed conidia, are free, as in Hymenomycetes. The species are microscopic in size, and the hyphae are strongly developed. They have no hymenium and no true basidia, and are non-sexual in their reproduction.

The four primary sections are the Mucedineae, or "white moulds;" the Dematieae, or "black moulds;" the Stilbea, with the hyphae or thread-like filaments pallid or brown, and densely cohering, and the Tubercularieae, with the hyphae densely compacted in wart-like pustules of somewhat gelatinous consistency.

The divisions called Melanconieae, Sphaeropsideae, and Hyphomyceteae are not recognized in the Brefield system of classification as distinct groups. Massee and Cooke, with other mycologists, take exception to this omission and its implication, in their discussion of the subject, giving consistent reasons for the retention of these groups in systematic works.

PHYCOMYCETES OR PHYSOMYCETES.

As originally defined by Berkeley, this group was composed chiefly of the old typical Mucors and their allies, and was then termed Physomycetes. In the newer system of classification its original definition has been extended so as to include a number of groups somewhat dissimilar in their habits and characteristics, but "united under the conservating bond of a dimorphic reproduction," and the name has been changed to Phycomycetes. As at present recognized "the Phycomycetes are characterized by a unicellular mycelium, often parasitic on plants or animals, sometimes saprophytic, developed in the air or in water. Reproduction sexual or asexual." As thus interpreted, Phycomycetes includes the Mucoracei; the Peronosporaceae, or "rotting moulds;" the Cystopi, or "white rusts;" the Saprolegniaceae, or "fish moulds;" the Entomophthoraceae, or "insect moulds," together with a few minor groups of doubtful natural affinity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Saccardo, P. A. "Sylloge Sphaeropsidearum et Melanconiearum," in Sylloge Fungorum. Vol. iii. Imp. 8vo. Padua, 1884.

L. A. Crie. _Recherches sur les Pyrenomycetes inferieurs du group de Depazees._ 8vo. Paris, 1878.

J. C. Corda. _Icones Fungorum._ Fol. 6 vol. Prague, 1837-'54.

Bonorden. _Zur Kenntniss der Coniomyceten u. Cryptomyceten._ 4to. Halle, 1860.

M. C. Cooke. _The Hyphomycetous Fungi of the United States._ 8vo. 1877.

P. A. Saccardo. _Sylloge Fungorum._ Vol. iv.--"Hyphomyceteae." Padua, 1886.

De Toni, J. B. "Sylloge Ustilaginearum et Uredinearum," in Saccardo, _Sylloge Fungorum._ Imp. 8vo. Vol. vii, pt. ii. Padua, 1888.

Geo. Winter in Rabenhorst's _Kryptogamen Florader Pilze_. 8vo. Cuts. 1884.

Geo. Massee. _British Fungi--Phycomycetes and Ustilagineae._ 8vo. Cuts. London, 1891.

O. Brefield. _Bot. Untersuch. ue. Hefenpilze._ Leipzig, 1883.

Tulasne. "Memoire sur les Ustilaginees comparees aux Uredinees." Ann. des Sci. Nat., 3d series, vol. vii. Paris, 1847.

M. Woronin. Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Ustilagineen. 1882.

M. C. Cooke. Rust, Smut, Mildew, and Mould. 12mo. Col. plates. London, 1870.

C. B. Plowright. _A Monograph of the British Uredineae and Ustilagineae._ 8vo. London, 1889.

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