MARASMIUS. 109 



Genus XXXVIII. MARASMIUS. Fr. 



Spores white, subelliptical ; pileus tough, fleshy, or membra- 

 naceous ; stem central and confluent with the hymenophore, 

 but of a different texture ; gills thick, tough, generally dis- 

 tant. Growing on decayed leaves, or root of grapes. This is 

 the first genus of the nonputrescent fleshy Agarics. The prin- 

 cipal diagnostic character is the reviving of shrivelled and dry 

 specimens on the application of moisture. They are in form 

 nearly related to the genus Collybia. The Lehigh Valley con- 

 tains a number of good species, 



M. oreades. Fr. Fairy Ring Champignon. 



Pileus, fleshy, umbonate, convex, smooth, alutaceous, pale. 



Gills, free, broad, distant, cream color. 



Stem, solid, equal, naked, with a villous coating, pallid, 



base naked. 



This is not as common as many other species of the fleshy 

 fungi. 



The name Fairy Ring is derived from its manner of growing in circles, 

 or part of circles. The}' seldom form a complete circle in our Lehigh 

 Valley, The first appearance is as early as the beginning of June, when 

 only a few are found. And new ones appear and the old ones revive, 

 until quite a circle is formed again in September. The rings are formed 

 from the excessive growth of the grass, from the fertilizing effect of the 

 decay of the previous year's growth. 



M. C. Cooke, in his "British Fungi," says: "That these fairy-rings 

 were the nightly haunts, dancing-grounds, of fairy folks was a general 

 belief before the existence of these little people came to be doubted," 

 One old author writes : " They had always fine music among themselves, 

 and danced in a moonshiny night around or in a ring, as one may see 

 at this day upon every common in England where mushrooms grow," 



The Rev, Gerard Smith thus describes the general character of those 



rings on the grass : 



" The nimble elves 



That do by moonshine green sour ringlets make, 



Whereof the ewe bites not ; whose pastime 'tis 



To make these midnight mushrooms." 



