114 Mycologia 



doubtless blackens easily when touched or in age, and in the 

 fresh condition it is likely that the gluten is hyaline. Dr. Peck 

 kept this distinction in mind when he described G. nigricans 

 Peck (11) with its sensitive gluten. After giving the color of the 

 pileus as "pale brownish-red," and that of the stem as "whitish," 

 he says: "The species is usually known by the blackening gluten 

 which smears both pileus and stem. ... In the dried state the 

 whole plant is black." The degree of blackening of the surface 

 of the pileus and stem is much used in the descriptions of the 

 species of this genus, but it is often difficult in an examination of 

 dried plants to apply statements concerning it, because of the 

 extreme blackening that may occur due to overheating. On the 

 other hand, this character is of great help in discriminating 

 between certain species when they are properly dried. Since the 

 blackening of cap and stem is due to the veil, it is at once evident 

 that rain-washed plants may not show this reaction after the 

 specimens have been dried. Certain species, however, when in 

 growing condition, do not dry black when properly dried. Such 

 are G. tomentosus, G.furcatus, G. subroseus and G. viscidus forma 

 Columbiana; others like G. ochraceus, G. maculatiis and G. glittino- 

 sus show this characteristic in greater or less degree, while G. nigri- 

 cans shows it to an extreme extent. 



A cortina-like partial veil, more or less continuous on the inside 

 of the universal veil where the latter passes over the gill area, is 

 present in most and perhaps in all species in the young condition ; 

 it is never copious and is soon evanescent. 



The gills are decurrent, subdistant or distant; in only one 

 species, viz., G. vinicolor Peck, can the gills be said to be close. 

 The type of this species at Albany clearly has closer gills than 

 is usual, but whether this character is consistent in the fresh 

 plant is not too certain. Poor, small or undeveloped specimens 

 of the other species sometimes give the effect of "close" gills. 



The color of the gills.changes markedly during the development 

 of the spores. If one could make a color chart of these changes 

 for each species, I am convinced that the shades of color repre- 

 sented would be quite specific for each species. I have taken 

 down these shades of color at the time of collecting the fruit- 

 bodies and found that even in the same region and with the 



