26 ON THE STEUCTURAL ANATOMY OF FUNGI. 



tached to the Pileus in the form of Wai*ts. The Volva must be 

 well noted, for, as we shall hereafter see, it is a distinguishing 

 characteristic of some very important Fungi. The Warts have 

 already been alluded to. When they are present, the Volva is 

 termed Imperfect. It is Elongate, when the cup stands high 

 about the Stem ; Fugacious, when soon disappearing ; Obliterate, 

 when only a rim on the base of the Stem remains in the developed 

 plant; and Vaginate, when closely sheathing the base of the 

 Stem. 



THE SECTION". 



This is to be effected by cutting with a sharp knife right across 

 the top of the Pileus, down through the centre of the Stem to 

 the base, dividing the mushroom into two vertical halves. This 

 enables us to observe the characters of the Flesh, the interior of 

 the Stem, and the Hymenium. 



THE FLESH. This is the substance of the Pileus. Its vary- 

 ing character often aids in the identification of species. Its Tint 

 must be observed, and whether that undergoes any Change by 

 exposure. It is further desirable to note whether the Flesh is 

 Thick or Thin, Hard or Soft, Tough or Tender, Dry or Juicy, 

 Compact or Unsubstantial, Leathery or Brittle, whether in frac- 

 ture it can be described as Cheesy, Mealy, Membranaceous, "Waxy, 

 or Translucent. Its odour and taste must also be observed. 



INTERIOR OP STEM. Of this it is desirable to note, first, 

 whether its substance is Confluent or not with that of the Pileus, 

 or whether it be Heterogeneous from it; that is, whether Pileus 

 and Stem are evidently of different substance and easily separable. 

 Second, if Stem and Flesh are confluent, we must observe whether 

 they are confluent and of Homogeneous substance, or confluent but 

 of heterogeneous substance. Next, wo shall see if the Stem be 

 Solid, or if it is Fistulose, that is, containing a hollow* cavity, or if 

 it is Stuflfed, that is, tilled up with a light pith. Wo must deter- 

 niine the character of this pith, as to whether it can be described 

 as lloccose, fibrous, spongy, etc. The section also shows whether 

 the Stem has any distinct outer coat, and if that is Fibrous, Car- 

 tilaginous, or otherwise. All these trivial points are of value in 

 assisting the identification of species for the first time. 



