THE FAIRY RING CHAMPIGNON. 8t 



The fungus which is commonly known as the " fairy 

 ring champignon " (^Marasmius oreades) is a small, 

 dry looking mushroom, seldom much more than one 

 inch in diameter, and of a warm buff colour, paler 

 when dry. The cap is convex, with a slight depres- 

 sion round the broad central umbo or boss, quite 

 smooth, without any lines or scales ; as it becomes old 

 it is rather flattened. The stem is of equal thickness 

 throughout, whitish, from the size of a straw to that 

 of a clay-pipe stem. The gills are broad, and dis- 

 tant from each other, quite white, or creamy white, 

 or with the slightest tinge of yellow, reaching the 

 stem. The substance is tough and elastic, not brittle, 

 and it dries very readily, never melting. After having 

 been dried, if placed in water it will reassume its 

 former size and shape. This peculiar dry substance 

 and power of reviving is the feature whereby a 

 Marasmius may be distinguished from an agaric. It 

 would be folly to seek this species in woods, as it 

 grows in the open, in pastures, lawns, &c., and the 

 species found in woods, which resemble it somewhat 

 in appearance, are not good eating. We have known 

 persons to confound dark brown, and other dark 

 coloured species, with the champignon, simply on 

 account of their gregarious habit. This is absurd, 

 because the true species is always light coloured, even 

 when soaked with moisture, and the gills are nearly 

 white, with white spores. The features which dis- 

 tinguish this from similar species are so permanent 



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