M 



RESEARCHES ON FUNGI 



in glass dishes in England and central Canada, where daily crops of 

 fruit-bodies open each morning. Occurs also in Germany, Austria, 

 and South Africa. 



The distinguishing characters of this species lie in the foxy- 

 red colour of the very young pileus, the minute reddish or 

 whitish scales which remain on the expanded pileus inter- 

 spersed with clavate hairs, 

 the finally depressed disc, the 

 deep black spores, and the 

 absence of cystidia on the 

 sides of the gills. The pileus, 

 when expanded, reminds one 

 of that of Coprinus plica- 

 tilis but is much smaller. 

 Sometimes very minute or 

 dwarf fruit-bodies are to be 

 found along with similar 

 dwarfs of C. lagopus in 

 crevices in old dung-masses. 

 The fungus is common on 

 horse-dung cultures at Bir- 

 mingham, England, and at 

 Winnipeg, Canada. 



The Pilear Scales and 

 the Pilocystidia.— In a tiny 

 fruit-body rudiment in which 

 the pileus and the stipe have become clearly differentiated from 

 one another, the pileus is covered externally with a thin, con- 

 tinuous, foxy-red or pale-red universal veil (Fig. 6). As the pileus 

 grows in size, the veil breaks up into fragments ; and it is 

 these fragments which form the characteristic minute reddish 

 or pale scales scattered over the pileus when this comes to maturity 

 (Figs. 7, A, and 8). When a scale is examined microscopically, it 

 is found to be composed of rounded or oval cells, 12-30 y. in diameter, 

 some of which are colourless while others are more or less brown 

 (Fig. 7, B, C, E). In scales which appear pale to the naked eye 

 there are very few brown cells present, while in scales which appear 



Fig. 8. — Coprinus curtus. Pure culture on a 

 horse-dung ball, from spores of Winnipeg 

 material. The ball has been turned to 

 show the upper surfaces of the pilei. The 

 discs are dark and depressed, and the 

 small pilear scales, owing to being here of 

 a very deep red colour, can be readily 

 perceived. Natural size. 



