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  BRITISH 
  FUNGI. 
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  common 
  occurrence, 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  interest 
  the 
  young 
  

   mycologist. 
  Dccdalea 
  quercina 
  grows 
  on 
  oak-stumps, 
  

   sometimes 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  size, 
  spreading 
  out 
  from 
  its 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  in 
  a 
  semicircular 
  manner, 
  and 
  having 
  the 
  under 
  

   surface 
  broken 
  up 
  into 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  long, 
  irregular, 
  

   wavy 
  fissures, 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  several 
  contiguous 
  

   tubes 
  had 
  been 
  bruken 
  down. 
  Another 
  equally 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  species 
  (D. 
  unicolor), 
  with 
  a 
  zoned 
  or 
  banded 
  

   pileus, 
  may 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  on 
  stumps. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  

   form 
  of 
  the 
  pores 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus. 
  

  

  In 
  Merulins, 
  the 
  genus 
  which 
  succeeds 
  it, 
  the 
  tex- 
  

   ture 
  is 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  woody 
  character 
  of 
  Dcedalea, 
  but 
  

   on 
  the 
  contrary 
  soft 
  and 
  waxy, 
  and 
  the 
  hymenium 
  is 
  

   disposed 
  in 
  porous 
  or 
  wavy 
  toothed 
  folds. 
  The 
  only 
  

   popularly 
  known 
  species 
  is 
  one 
  which 
  unfortunately 
  

   is 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  dry-rot. 
  This 
  

   name 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  supposed 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  fungus 
  

   is 
  itself 
  dry, 
  or 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  moisture, 
  — 
  

   the 
  contrary 
  of 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  case 
  ; 
  but 
  probably 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  its 
  ravages 
  reducing 
  the 
  structure 
  upon 
  

   which 
  it 
  establishes 
  itself 
  to 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  dust. 
  The 
  

   Meruliw 
  lacrymans 
  (lacrt/mo, 
  Lat., 
  I 
  weep) 
  is 
  often 
  

   dripping 
  with 
  moisture, 
  as 
  if 
  weeping 
  in 
  regret 
  for 
  the 
  

   havoc 
  it 
  has 
  made. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  sometimes 
  attaining: 
  

   a 
  dimension 
  of 
  several 
  feet, 
  and 
  to 
  check 
  or 
  prevent 
  its 
  

   ravages 
  numerous 
  experiments 
  have 
  been 
  instituted, 
  

   none 
  having 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  remedy 
  

   thoroughly 
  effective, 
  though 
  saturation 
  with 
  creosote 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  best. 
  

  

  d 
  

  

  