264 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



raise the fungus on sterilised horse dung in the laboratory failed ; 

 but Long and Harsch,i by inoculating malt agar and parsnip agar, 

 obtained fruit-bodies 25-31 days after inoculation. 



Fig. 109. — Coprinus atramentarius. A very large unexpanded solitary fruit- 

 body coming up on soil near the stump of a dead tree. Photographed at 

 Winnipeg. Natural size. 



General Description of the Fruit-bodies. — The fruit-bodies may 

 occur singly (Fig. 109) but are usually clustered, four or more indi- 

 viduals often being united by the bases of their stipes (Fig. 108). 

 The pilei, before expansion, are usually ovate and more or less 

 plicate, and they vary from about 1 to 3 inches in height ; later on, 

 when spore-discharge and autodigestion has begun, they are cam- 

 panulate and measure from 1 to 3 inches in diameter (Figs. 118, B, 



1 W. H. Long and R. M. Harsch, " Pure Cultures of Wood-Rotting Fungi on 

 Artificial Media," Journ. of Agric. Research, vol. xii, 1918, pp. 69 and 72. 



