﻿42 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EASY 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  scend 
  in 
  a 
  decurrent 
  manner. 
  In 
  this 
  group 
  we 
  have 
  

  

  an 
  esculent 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  true 
  A. 
  prunulus 
  lias 
  the 
  disadvantage 
  of 
  being 
  

   often 
  robbed 
  of 
  its 
  good 
  name. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  autumnal 
  

   species 
  found 
  growing 
  in 
  woods. 
  The 
  pileus 
  is 
  fleshy, 
  

   and 
  either 
  white 
  or 
  some 
  pale 
  shade 
  of 
  grey. 
  The 
  gills 
  

   are 
  rather 
  distant 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  whitish 
  or 
  flesh- 
  

   coloured, 
  decurrent, 
  or 
  running 
  down 
  the 
  solid 
  stem. 
  

   The 
  odour 
  resembles 
  that 
  which 
  one 
  experiences 
  on 
  

   entering 
  a 
  flour-mill. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   a 
  very 
  good 
  esculent 
  species, 
  but 
  the 
  confusion 
  of 
  this 
  

   and 
  A. 
  garnbosw 
  under 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  has 
  perhaps 
  

   led 
  some 
  to 
  attribute 
  to 
  it 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  honour 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  

   rival. 
  The 
  St. 
  George's 
  mushroom 
  (A. 
  gambosus) 
  is 
  a 
  

   vernal, 
  and 
  A. 
  prumdus 
  an 
  autumnal 
  species. 
  

  

  Three 
  other 
  sub-genera 
  complete 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  

   Agarics 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  spores 
  are 
  salmon-coloured 
  ; 
  these 
  

   are 
  Leptonia, 
  Nolanea, 
  and 
  Eccilia. 
  

  

  In 
  Leptonia 
  the 
  stem 
  has 
  a 
  cartilaginous 
  bark. 
  The 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  pileus 
  is 
  at 
  first 
  curved 
  inwards, 
  and 
  the 
  

   gills 
  divide 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  stem. 
  

  

  In 
  Nolanea 
  the 
  stem 
  is 
  cartilaginous, 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  

   being 
  curved 
  at 
  first, 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  pileus 
  is 
  straight, 
  

   and 
  closely 
  pressed 
  to 
  the 
  stem. 
  

  

  In 
  Eccilia 
  the 
  stem 
  is 
  also 
  cartilaginous, 
  and 
  the 
  

   pileus 
  at 
  first 
  inflexed 
  at 
  the 
  margin 
  ; 
  the 
  gills 
  are 
  at- 
  

   tenuated 
  behind, 
  and 
  truly 
  decurrent, 
  or 
  running 
  down 
  

   the 
  stem. 
  Until 
  very 
  lately, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  known 
  that 
  

   this 
  sub-genus 
  had 
  a 
  representative 
  in 
  Britain. 
  Two 
  

   species 
  have, 
  however, 
  been 
  discovered 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  none 
  

  

  