niiislirooni, of a clingy brown color, by reason of which it is easily 

 overlooked. Its gills have at first the pink hue of the other spe- 

 cies of this group, changing to blackish-brown with age. It 

 grows under trees in woods, and like other species with a similar 

 habitat, its stem is rather long and often swollen or sub-bulbous 

 at the base. 1 lia\ c not eaten it, but it is said to be of excellent 

 quality. 



The AVood-inhabiting mushroom, Agaricus silrirola, is so 

 closely related to the Common mushroom that it has been con- 

 sidered by some good mycologists to be a mere variety of it. Its 

 chief differences arc in its place of growth, its longer and com- 

 paratively more slender stuffed or hollow and somewhat bulbous 

 stem. In other respects it agrees closely with the white or whit- 

 ish forms of that species. For edible purposes, it is not very im- 

 j)ortant whether it is considered a species or a variety. But 

 growing in the woods, it is of the utmost importance that it 

 ^ihould not be confused with white forms of the poisonous Aman- 

 itas which grow in similar localities, and which are easily sepa- 

 rated by reason of the persistently white color of their gills. 



The riat-cap mushroom, Agaricus placomyces, is one of our 

 prettiest species. Its cap is rather thin, at first convex, but when 

 fully expanded, it is quite flat. Its ground color is whitish or 

 grayish, but it is everywhere 



adorned with verv small dis- 



old age or in diied specimens, 

 the whole cap is apt to be- 

 come brown. The gills, as in 

 several other species of this 

 genus, are at first white, then 

 pink, and finally blackish- 

 brown. Its stem is rather 

 long and slender, stuffed with 

 a cottony pith and bulbous at 

 the base. It is commonly 

 whitish, Iiut sometimes bears 

 yellowish stains towm-il the 

 base. 



It grows under trees or in 

 the borders of woods, and ie 

 found in sumnu^r and aut- 



Flat-Ca]) Miir-hri>oiii. Two-thirds: size. 



31 



