in liuttcr with pcpjKi- ;iinl salt it is excellent;" "edible, tender 

 and delicious;'' "in llavor it resembles the Common mushroom, 

 to which it is quite equal, if not superior; it is clearly more di- 

 gestible and less likely to disaiifee with ])ei-S()ns of delicate cnii- 

 stitutions,'' are oj>inii)Us recorded in its favor. 



The Inky coj)rinus, C. atraincntarius, has a gray or grayish- 

 brown smooth cap, except that sometimes there is a slight scaly 

 appearance on its centre or disk. It is often irregular on the 

 margin. When young it is somewhat egg-shaped. The gills are 

 at first crowded and whitish, or grayish, but they soon become 

 brown aiul begin to deliquesce. The stem is smooth, hollow and 

 white. It Sometimes has a slight vestige of a collar near its base 

 when young. b]it all traces of it soon disappear. It grows in clus- 

 ters in gardens and waste places, appearing in autumn. The 

 black fluid of its dissolving gills has soinetinies been einj>]oyed as 

 a 2)oor substitute for ink. 



A form is often found in woods in the latter part of summer, 

 which is suudler, but more regular and beautiful than that grow- 

 ing in the open eountry. It is the Wood variety, var. silvestris. 



The Glistening coprinus, 

 C. micaceits, is a small, Init 

 common and pretty species. 

 Its cap is thin, generally con- 

 ical or bell-shaped, and 

 marked with numerous stri- 

 ations, or parallel longitudi- 

 nal impressed lines which 

 extend from the margin half 

 way or more toward the top 

 or centre. The centre is even, 

 and often a little more highly 

 colored than the rest. In the 

 young plant, especially, the 

 cap is often sprinkled with 

 shining atoms, which have 

 suggested the name, but these 

 are not very noticeable, and 

 they are frequently absent. 

 The color is variable, and 

 ranges from buff to ochra- 

 ceous, reddish ochraceous, or 

 tawny yellow. It often be- 

 comes sordid or brownish in 

 old age, or in wet weather. 

 35 



Coprlnii- iiiir;ii(u>, nntiinil size. 



