Melanosporae 



eight inches long, but its usual height is from 2-4 in. It occurs after Coprinus. 

 hard rain and often in the most unexpected places. It is a rather do- 

 mestic species, usually in troops, but often in clusters of from five to 

 fifty individuals. I have seen it lift firmly sodded ground about rail- 

 road stations, and again, bulging the surface of gardens like mole-hills. 



There are toadstools of higher flavor, but not one of greater delicacy. 

 In this C. comatus is not excelled from its earliest stage until fully 

 ripened. It is everywhere commended. 



Lafayette B. Mendel, in American Journal of Physiology, gives the 

 following analysis : 



The specimens were freshly gathered and had not yet turned " inky." 

 They varied very widely in size, thirty-six mushrooms weighing 1485 

 grams, of which 980 grams belonged to the caps (pileus) and 505 

 grams to the stems. The average weight of a fresh specimen was thus: 



Pileus 27 grains 



Stem 14 



Total weight 41 



A specimen which had attained the average growth weighed : 



Pileus 43 grams 



Stem 25 



Total weight 68 



An analysis yielded the following results : 



Water 9 2 - 1 9 P er cent. 



Total solids 7.81 



The dry substance contained : 



Total nitrogen 5.79 per cent. 



Extractive nitrogen 3.87 



Protein nitrogen 1.92 



Ether extract 3.3 



Crude fiber 7.3 



Ash 12.5 



Material soluble in 85 per cent, alcohol 56.3 



C. SOboli'ferilS Fr. Pileus i%-2% in. across, subcylindrical, then 

 oval bell-shaped, lower half of pileus usually undulate but not furrowed 

 or striate, disk obtuse, usually depressed, distinctly scaly, dingy white, 

 toward the apex tinged with pale brown, scales darker. Flesh very 

 thin. Gills free, tapering toward each end, H in. or more broad, 

 crowded, pale then blackish. Stem 5-8 in. long, % in. thick at the 



371 



