COPRINUS. 311 



irregular pieces that persist on the fully expanded pileus. 

 Soon deliquescing after attaining full development. Dis- 

 tinguished from allied species by the large, irregular, 

 supeificial patches on the pileus. In C. aratus the pileus is 

 dark and striate, but the evanescent covering consists of 

 small, crowded scales, and the gills are at iirst adnexed, then 

 breaking away. In G. floccidosus the pileus is whitish and 

 the gills violaceous. 



Pileus 2 in. broad and high, campaniilate, glutinous, 

 closely grooved, brown with a tinge of red abuve ; margin 

 cinereous, dimpled at the apex, epidermis ci'ackiug into large 

 pale fawn-coloured subconic scales ; flesh very thin ; gills 

 iDroad, ventricose, narrow in front, black, the extreme 

 margin, except when deliquescent, white, not so close as in 

 C. atramentarius, clothed Avith prominent spiculae (cystidia) 

 exactly as long as the interstices are broad, quite free. 

 S|)ores elliptic, black. Stem 6 in. high, ^ in. thick at the 

 base, beautifully satiny with adpressed fibrillae, attenuated 

 above, w^here it is subtomentose, and stained with the 

 spores, subbulbous below, hollow, with a few stringy fibres 

 attached to the walls. (Berk.) 



Coprinus aphthosus. Fr. 



Pileus about 1 in. high and broad, membranaceous, ovate- 

 campanulate, not striate, at first covered with super- 

 ficial scales, then naked, pallid ; gills adnate, linear, white, 

 then black; stem about 2 in. high, 2 lines thick, soft, 

 white, equal, fibrillose, twisted, hollow; spores blackish, 

 15-16 xlO fx. 



Coprinus aplitliosus. Fries, Epicr., p. 245 ; Cooke, Hdbk., 

 p. 226. 



In hollow trunks, &c. 



I have followed Fries in considering the above described 

 form as the typical species, nevertheless it is rather unusual 

 that he should accept the species he found as typical and 

 run a previously described species, as that of Bolton, as a 

 variety. 



Var. Boltoni. Mass. 



The following description by Bolton indicates a distinct 

 variety of the present species, distinguished more especially 

 by the repand, olivaceous pileus. 



