the expansion of the stronger members of the family pushing the weaker aside. The fully matured pileus is 

 from one to five inches across, firm, cojivex, then expanded, obtusely umbonate (like the boss of a shield, 

 umbo). It is never glutinous or slimy. Tlie colour varies, from ta-miy to bright yellow, and the wliole plant 

 partakes of the same Ime. The pileus retains the remains of the veil, in the form of tufted dark scales, which 

 are recurved, giving it a bristling appearance. 



The affinity of Agaricus sqiiarrosus, as far as configuration goes, is Mith the Lepiofes {Aff.2:)rocen(s, &c.) 

 but the colour of the spores removes it into a different subgenus, Pholiota, also scaly, but having rust-coloured 

 dust instead of wliite. If tliis distinction is attended to it wiU prevent any confusion with Ar/. melleus 

 "(Les tetes de Meduse,"Paulet) some states of wliich at fii'st sight resemble the smoothest forms of Ay. 

 sqiiarrosus. The Agaricus melleus is a verj^ common and in no way attractive kind ; in spite of its honeved 

 name it is very deleterious, which the more formidable looking Ag. squarrosiis is not, according to M. Paulet, 

 who benevolently tried his "Tigre des Arbres," herisse as it was, upon himself, for the good of the rest of 

 mankind, and happily survived the experiment. It seems superfluous to say that we do not recommend it 

 to the fancier of Funguses. 



The plate is a striking resemblance of Agaricus squarrosus, which, if it always had characters so marked, 

 could never be confounded with any other species, it is however very variable. We have already cautioned 

 the student how to distinguish it fi-om the wliite spored Zejjiofes, but there are some individuals of the genus 

 Ki/pholoma, series Pratella, wliich, growing in a caespitose mamier at the root of trees, (one of them, Ag. 

 fascicularis, at the bottom of almost every post,) and being to boot yellow and bitter, it may be as weU to 

 discriminate from our Hydra friend squarrosus, the more so, as the term "Tetes de Souffre", or "Tetes de 

 Meduse ", or many other " Tetes " are mentioned in the French authorities we often quote. 



In the subgenus Pholiota then, as in Lepiota, the veil is tlirowu over the head of the plant, and attached 

 to the lower portion of the stem; it consists of a tenacious persistent membrane. In Cortinaria and 

 Hypholoma, there is a veil also, but instead of being tenacious and persistent, it consists of arachnoid threads, 

 a warp -n-ithout a woof, a gossamer garment which is lost altogether by wear and tear, as the plant increases 

 in bulk. Other funguses ai-e veiled in slime, which renders them unpleasant to handle, but has the same 

 preservative power, to shield the young plant, or rather its fructifying membrane, that the woven veils possess. 



To return to Pholiota, if we put an umbrella into a case, which is fastened round the stick, ^-e have no 

 bad illustration of Ag. squarrosus, or any other of that genus, wrapped in its ved, which is attached to the 

 stem. Suppose tlien that the umbrella were actuated by expansive growth in every du-ection, while the case 

 remained on, the movement outward of the circle in wliich the whalebones are stitched would rupture this 

 confining case, at the points where the pressure was greatest, and part would remain attached to the stick, by 

 the cord which confined it originally, the rest forming slireds on the outside of the umbrella. K"ow tlie part 

 attached to the stick, answers to the persistent ring of the Agaric, closely affixed to the stem before the 

 expansion of the pileus. The shreds on the outside streaming from the apex of the umbrella, are the scales 

 or the shaggy coat of the pileus, dense at top, where the force to divide and rupture was small, wide apart 

 and ragged below, because the greatest dispersion is at the greatest circumference ; also the upward growth 

 of the pileus, carrying its case with it, ruptures it both ways, horizontally as well as vertically, and thus we 

 have scales. These explanations apply only to those Cortinarious tribes which are destitute of the true veil, 

 or enveloping membrane fastened under the root, which, when ruptured, leaves a volva. 



