A(/aricus micaceus with its congregated host of neat brown caps may be seen after every heavy spring 

 rain, everywhere, in gardens, on lawns, by the road-side; it seems not to approve a high temperature, during 

 dog-days we may seek it in vain ; but as soon as summer heat declines to the medium degree of spring, up 

 starts the Mica toadstool, and recurs till frosts check it. It loves best situations where decayed wood lies 

 buried, not growing immediately from it, Uke the tree Agarics, but nurtured by it as by manure, and 

 finding the disintegrated portions a proper nucleus and screen for the tender threads of the cottony 

 mycelium which is its first state, and which sometimes is so abundant afterwards, as to form round the 

 base of the stem a covering almost volva-like. Some decayed portions of pollard elms had been buried 

 as the foundation for a ferner}', and there the Agaric the second year appeared in dense clusters, which 

 became a perfect nuisance ; every plant near being soiled by its deliquescence. Before every thunder storm 

 the ground heaved up and cracked, for the sensitive fungus felt those electrical influences propitious to 

 its growth; and pushed its thousands of brown heads into the upper world ; that crop passed tlirough its 

 proper stages from the pretty compact pileus gemmed with the bright fragments of the veil, ghttering like 

 morsels of mica, (whence the name) to the stained spore-sprinkled remains of what had been a pure white 

 stem, now crowned \vith a few ragged fragments of the dehquesced cap. 



Then came another storm, another crop ; for three years the process continued and after that ceased 

 entirely, the wood probably having imparted all the nourislunent tliis particular Agaric could derive from it. 

 On another occasion seeing a considerable portion of a pasture turned brown in a remarkable manner, it 

 was found on nearer approach to be a close mob of these same toadstools, pusliing and shouldering, but 

 utterly unable to obtain space for expansion, and so they perished, only a few in the outer ranks 

 extricating their caps enough to open them. It was the space where a very wide hedge had been grubbed 

 and where probably many small roots had been left, which was thus occupied, and that one growth seemed 

 to exhaust the site, as it has never recurred. 



So common a " toadstool " is a good study for the beginner, and may easily be found and identified ; 

 the most usual type we noticed at the commencement of the article, its hues are not yellow of the gamboge 

 kind, but ocliry, reddish-brown, and umber. It is of no use, and in some sites worse than useless, but 

 appears to have no deleterious properties. 



