COPRINUS CURTUS 27 



the pilei have now passed from the flattened {cf. Figs. 2 and 8, 

 pp. 5 and 14) to the revolute condition, all the spores have been 

 discharged from the gills so that these are now pale, and the stipes 

 are about to collapse. 



Fig. is.— Coprinus ciirtus. Enlarged semi-diagrammatic drawing of the top 

 of an expanded pilaus, from which the scales and pilocystidia have 

 been omitted, showing the central somewhat depressed disc, the 

 pileus-flesh split up into radial ribbons, and the gills, all of which 

 became cleft vertically down their median planes and thus allowed the 

 pileus to open in an umbrella-like manner. The two halves of each gill 

 have tramal cells above and hymenial cells below. Owing to the black- 

 ness of the spores and the transparency of the gill -halves, the split 

 gills, in the view here shown, look dark-greyish or black. The original 

 pileus was 21 mm. in diameter. Magnification, 5. 



The pileus passes from the conico-cyhndrical stage (Fig. 3), 

 through the campanulate stage (Fig. 4) to the flattened stage 

 (Figs. 2 and 8, pp. 5 and 14) in much the same manner as a parasol 

 when it is opened. The opening of the pileus appears to be effected 



