446 RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



bloom, and (2) an abnormal one, to be observed only occasionally, 

 due to the presence of the floccose white mycelium of Volvaria 

 Loveiana. This second kind of cloudiness, which was seen by Smith, 

 appears to be rare ; but only from such pilei as show it could one 

 hope to raise fruit-bodies of V . Loveiana. 



It is very desirable that some one should attempt to produce 

 fruit-bodies of V. Loveiana by sowing the spores of F. plumosa 

 (which Quelet and Maire consider to be identical with F. Loveiana) 

 on a healthy pileus of Clitocyhe nehularis. If such an experiment 

 should be crowned with success, excellent material might be obtained 

 for working out the details of the relation between the parasite and 

 its host. 



The Genus Nyctalis. — The genus Nyctalis is believed to be 

 closely related to Cantharellus. It resembles Cantharellus in having 

 fleshy white-spored fruit-bodies in which the hymenium is spread over 

 shallow obtuse gills, and in which the stipe and pileus are confluent ; 

 but it differs from Cantharellus in its gills being simple instead of 

 forked. Moreover, while all the species of Cantharellus are sapro- 

 phytes, some of those of Nyctalis are highly specialised parasites. 



The best known species of Nyctalis are N. asierophora and 

 A", parasitica which are parasitic on certain other agarics ; and it 

 is to the first of these that we shall now turn our attention .- 



Nyctalis asterophora. — Nyctalis asierophora (Fig. 187) occurs in 

 Europe, North America,^ and Japan ^ as a parasite on certain large 

 and fleshy agarics. It was discovered by Micheli ^ in 1729 on 

 Lactarius piperatus, and first carefully illustrated by Bulliard * who 

 shows it growing from the upper surface of the pileus and from the 

 gills of CoUybia fusipes. Be Bary ^ found it on Russula nigricans 



1 C. H. Kauffman, The Agaricaceae of Michigan, U.S.A., 1918, vol. i, p. 32 ; 

 vol. ii, Plate I. 



2 T. Iwasaki, Honzo-zuju (Botanical Illustrations), Tokio, 1829, Plate 33. A 

 copy of this rare work is in the library of Kew Gardens. The author states (in 

 Japanese) that the powder on the pileus resembles that of Puff-balls. 



^ P. A. Micheli, Nova Plantarum Genera, Florentiae, 1729, p. 200, Tab. 82, Fig. 1. 



4 P. Bulliard, Herbier de la France, Paris, 1784, Plate 166. Bulliard says that 

 he found the parasite always on V Agaric pied-fu and his excellent illustration leaves 

 no doubt that this fungus is Collyhia fusipes. 



^ A. de Bary, " Zur Kenntniss einiger Agaricinen," Bat. Zeit., Bd. XVII, 1859, 

 p. 38.5. 



