138 



AGARICINI. 



Nyctalis. 



hollow places. There is scarcely any doubt that these species are forms of 

 others, changed in appearance and disguised owing to their place of growth. 



II. PARASITVE (parasita, a parasite). Gills distinct, distant. On putrid 

 fungi. 



I. SPELE/E. 



1. N. caliginosa Smith. Pileus white when dry, marked with 



colours (as in Ag. butyraceus) when 

 wet, very fleshy, floccoso-pruinose 

 when dry, margin involute, slightly 

 exceeding the gills. Stem solid, 

 floccoso-pruinose, base naked. Gills 

 decurrent, thick, branched. 



Odour and taste rank and disagreeable 

 like Polyporus sqiiamosus. Closely allied 

 to N. parasitica, but at once distinguished 

 by its truly decurrent gills and other 

 characters. 



Amongst earth and dead leaves in 

 dense dark wood. Bishop's Wood, 

 Highgate. 



Name caligo, darkness. From its ha- 

 bitat. Worth.. Smith Journ. Bot. 1873, 



P- 337- 



LII. Nyctalis parasitica. One- 

 half natural size. 



II. PARASITE. 



2. N. asterophora Fr. Pileus white when young, then/awn- 

 colour, fleshy, conical then hemispherical, often papillate when 

 young, then splitting Q^e.n, floccoso-pulverulent. Stem scarcely 

 exceeding 12 mm. (}4 in.) long, 1-2 mm. (j^-i lin.) thick, stuffed, 

 equal, but often twisted, at first whitish and pruinose, then be- 

 coming fuscous. Gills adnate, distant, thick, tense and straight, 

 somewhat forked, dingy. 



Very abnormal. Gregarious. The dust covering the pileus represents stel- 

 late spores under the microscope. B. even underneath and without gills. 



On dead Russula nigricans, &c. Frequent. Sept.-Nov. 



Spores 2x3 mk. W.G.S. Name aster , a star;fero, to bear. From the 

 stellate bodies in the dust on the pileus. Fr. Monogr. ii. p. 214. Hym. Eitr. 

 p. 463. Berk. Out. p. 217. C. Hbk. n. 652. 5. Mycol. Scot. n. 623. Ag. 

 Bull. t. 516. /. i. Asterophora Lycop. Dittm. Sturm t. 26. 



3. N. parasitica Fr. Pileus 1-2.5 cent. ( l /-i in.) broad, whit- 

 ish-fuscous, then becoming pale, whitish, slightly fleshy, when 

 young conico-campanulate then convex, soon plane and obtuse 



