COPRINUS. 353 



upwards, shining white and villous with squamules of the same Coprinus. 

 colour. Gills free, reaching the stem, at first veiitricose, then 

 linear, flexuons, black. 



Stem when young curt and firmer. Var. B. macrorhiza : pileus plumoso- 

 scaly ; stem shorter, somewhat marginato-bulbous, rooted, villous (and often 

 beaded with watery drops). Rather a singular young form than a true variety. 

 Mich. t. 80. /. 2. Var. C. pullata : pileus adpressedly scaly and tomentose, 

 soon denuded, fuscous-blackish ; stem equal, becoming smooth. An old state. 

 Bolt. t. 20. Sow. t. 262. 



On dung. Common. April, &c. 



Sometimes there is a root as long as the stem, M.J.B. Spores sphseroid- 

 ellipsoid, 15-18 x 9-12 mk. K. ; 15 x 9 mk. W. G.S. Namefimetum, a dung- 

 hill. Fr. Monogr. i. p. 459. Hym. Eur. p. 324. Berk. Out. p. 179. C. Hbk. 

 n. 463. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 428. Hoffm. Ic. t. 9. /. 2. A. cinereus Bull. t. 88. 



12. C. tomentosus Fr.- Pileus 4 cent. (\y 2 in.) high, grey 

 white, somewhat membranaceous, cylindrical then conical or nar- 

 rowly pyramidal, not expanded, striate and at length longitudin- 

 ally cracked, covered over with thin flocculose somewhat persistent 

 clown. Stem 5-7.5 cent. (2-3 in.) long, 4-6 mm. (2-3 lin.) thick, 

 fistulose, somewhat equal, at first equally covered over with thin 

 white villous down, thickened at the base when young. Gills 



free, linear, fuscous-blackish, at first white-micaceous at the edge. 



The stem is comparatively shortened. Very much allied to C. fimetarius, 

 but smaller, scarcely caespitose, and very easily distinguished at first sight by 

 its peculiar habit. 



On dung and rich pastures. Frequent. Sept. 



The coating sometimes peels off in broad patches, M.J.B. Name tomen- 

 titiii, flock. Downy. Fr. Monogr. \. p. 460. Hym. Eur. p. 325. Berk. Out. 

 p. 179. C. Hbk. ?i. 464. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 429. Agaricus Bull. t. 138. 

 Bolt. t. 156. Mich. t. So./. 5. 



13. C. niveus Fr. Pileus 2.5-5 cent - ( I-2 m -) broad, snow- 

 white, somewhat membranaceous, at first ovate, soon cainpa7iulato- 

 expanded, not split before it becomes revolute and torn, inealy- 



Jloccose, often squamulose. Stem at first short, then elongated to 

 2.5-7.5 cent. (1-3 in.), 4-6 mm. (2-3 lin.) thick, fistulose, very 

 fragile, attenuated upxvards, covered over with snow-white down. 

 Gills reaching the stem, adnexed, narrow, at first cohering, at 

 length, when the pileus is split, here and there distant, blackish. 



It varies extremely in size, but in general is smaller than C. fimetarius, and 

 often so delicate that it may easily be confounded with the floccose species of 

 section Veliformes. It is distinguished from C. tomentosus, &c., chiefly by the 

 snow-white down being somewhat persistent, and by the gills not being free. 



On horse and deer dung. Common. June-Nov. 



VOL. I. z 



