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decay, would be regarded as natural changes, the original tone being preserved, 

 and not a variation of colouring in the general acceptation of that term. * 



Some of the high-coloured, and over-coloured, figures of Bussula in the 

 books of the early part of the present century, helped to keep alive the notion of 

 the very great variability of colour in this genus, whereas the undoubted fact is 

 that a great deal of the variability existed in the minds of the several authors, 

 and the paint boxes of their artists. No figures of " Champignons " have been so 

 exaggerated and overdone as Bitssula ; in fact, many of them are only caricatures. 

 Impossible greens, caerulean blues, and reds gone mad characterize the majority. 

 There is no more hopeless task than the attempt to classify under their respective 

 species the legion of figures of Russula, which have dazzled the world. Illustrating 

 our thesis that coloration in Russula is not such an indefinite and intangible thing 

 as some have alleged, we will take one or two of the worst species. 



First and foremost one of the most protean in colour, as understood by 

 Fries, was Russula fragilis. Judging from the figures, it is green, green and 

 pink, pink, scarlet, crimson, purple, violet, red-brown, yellow, ochraceous, and 

 white, and perhaps something more. First of all we strike out green, as no 

 ingredient, wholly or in part, of any form of Russula fragilis. What it was 

 intended for we do not attempt to determine. Yellow is now represented by 

 Russula citrina of Gillet. Violet by Russula viulascens of Secretan, the ochraceous 

 form, which seems to have been mild, and, therefore, not Russula fragilis at all, 

 by R. fingibilis, Britz. The lohite is, of course, the Russula niveus of Persoon, 

 and may be only an etiolate form, and then we have still left only the different 

 shades of red, which now are held to constitute the species Russula fragilis. In 

 its deepest tints it may verge on rosy scarlet, or crimson, but through all 

 gradations of tints the tone remains the same, now and then spotted with 

 bleached places, where exposed to strong light, and as decay commences the 

 blanched cuticle turns yellowish, or foxy, not resulting from mutation of colour, 

 but decay in the cells. Here, then, we have that variable species Russula fragilis 

 simply reduced to a red species, subject to blanching and spotting by exposure to 

 light, as all the other bright species are liable to similar accidental change. 



Of Russula Integra and Russula alutacea we will venture to say nothing at 

 present, because up to now our opportunities have been few, and those chiefly in 

 the direction of finding a well defined limit between two such similar species. 



Russula cyanoxantha appears to be one of our commonest species, and 

 R. heterophylla one of the most uncommon, if the diagnosis of Fries is to be relied 

 upon, and not tradition. Doubtless Russula cyanoxantha does present in its 

 extremes of intensity and size strange contrasts, but were the most sceptical to 



* It was our intention to have remarked upon the loose application sometimes made of the 

 two words ** decoloration " and " discoloration," and must do so in a foot note. We would contend 

 that they did not imply the same thing, and should be recognized at their true value. " Dis- 

 coloration " may be an alteration of colour, from one colour to another, as a purple disc may be 

 discoloured brown, or a pink edge turn foxy, but we contend that this is not " decoloration," which 

 is a process of blanching, or discharge of colour like that which takes place in Russula depallens. 

 Hence " discoloration " may be a change of colour, but " decoloration " an absolute loss of colour. 

 It is by a clear definition of terms that something will be done to facilitate study, and even this 

 remark need not to have been made, but that some persons who have written books appear to 

 interpret both words alike. 



