ON THE STEUCTURAI; ANATOMY OF FUNGI. 25 



The part of tlie Veil attached to the Stem now forms a sort of 

 collar upon it, which is called the Ring. In some species this 

 disappears as the plant matures, in others it remains. When no 

 Ring is ever found on the Stem of a species, the Stem is de- 

 scribed as being Naked ; when there is a Ring, it is Annulate. 

 Various characters of Veil and Ring are described by terms 

 readily understood, or that have been sufSciently interpreted in 

 the previous pages. Others are the following: 



Arachnoid, Veil and Ring of woven threads, like spider-web. 



Ascending, Veil, when in youth its Stem attachment is below 

 the level of its Mai-ginal one. In this case the Ring is called 

 Inferior. 



Deflexed, Ring, when drooping or hanging down on the Stem. 



Descending, Veil, when in youth its Marginal attachment is 

 below the level of its Stem insertion. The Ring is then Superior. 



Distant, Ring, when much below apex of Stem. 



Distinct, Ring, when well marked and fully apparent. 



Entire, Ring, when its edge is clean cut, not torn or jagged. 



Evanescent, Veil or Ring, when disappearing at a very early 

 stage. 



Fugacious, Veil or " Ring, when liable to disappear before or at 

 maturity. 



High, Ring, when near apex of Stem. 



Medial, Ring, when about middle of Stem. 



Moveable, Ring, when it can be slipped up and down on the 

 Stem. 



Radiate, Ring, when spread outwards in rays. 



Reflexed, Ring, when its edge curls upwards. 



Torn, Veil or Ring, when ragged. 



Universal, Veil, when it extends over the whole PUeus in in- 

 fancy. 



Woven, Veil and Ring,. when composed of woven fibres. 



THE VOLVA. 



A limited number of species possess this feature. It is a strong 

 membrane, stouter than the Veil, and it invests the entire mush- 

 room in infancy, as the shell of an egg incloses its yolk. The 

 developing plant eventually bursts the Volva at the top, and rises 

 out of it, retaining the lower part like a cup about the base of the 

 Stem, and, in some species, carrying fragments of the Volva at- 



