OF CERTAIN TERMITE NESTS. 223 



Exception may be taken to the size of the pileus, description 

 of the margin, and relative thickness of the stalk of Flammula 

 Janseana. The gills may be styled adnate in some specimens , 

 especially if the pileus is depressed and the stalk expanded 

 at the apex: they are brown on old, dried, decayed specimens. 

 Hennings and Nyman, however, say that it is the same as 

 Agaricus Rajap, and the latter is undoubtedly the Ceylon 

 termite agaric. 



It would be interesting to determine whether Thwaites 

 collected the ringed form and what name was bestowed on it, 

 or whether either he or Gardner sent either form to Berkeley 

 in the pink-spored condition.* Presumably there should be 

 five more names in the Ceylon list, but up to the present I 

 have not been able to trace more than the three descriptions 

 quoted above, either from specimens or drawings. 



With regard to the colour of the spores, which Hennings 

 and Nyman say are yellow-brown, one or two facts may be 

 adduced to show how similar mistakes could arise. A Lepiota 

 (probably zeylanica, Berk.) has spores which are white when 

 fresh, then pale yellow, while those which remain in contact 

 with the gills and stalk are deep red ; "Lepiota f J avidoru]a' n 

 has spores which are pale yellow, ochraceous, or light or dark 

 slate, according to age and the mode of deposition ; and there 

 is not much doubt that many Ceylon Lepiotas have been classed 

 as Psalliota through the change in colour of the gills. Chitoniella 

 poderes (B. and Br.), P. Henn., too, which is identical with 

 Ghitonia pedilia, B. and Br., is said by Hennings to have purple- 

 brown spores, whereas they are really ohve green. This state- 

 ment however appears to be a pure assumption, for Berkeley's 

 specimens, the only examples ever sent to Europe, were im- 

 mature, and he does not mention the spores. The same 

 species further illustrates the possibilities of error in describing 

 dried agarics : Chitonia pedilia is said to differ from Chitoniella 

 poderes in the absence of a secondary veil, but the figure from 



* Both sent " Pluteus cervinus Schaeff," which was more probably 

 the present species. 



9(8)06 (17) 



