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by damping and pressing fragments of grass thereon, as a trap to catch the 

 unwary. Nevertheless, for all this, the section Rigidce is a good one, and, com- 

 paratively, the cuticle is dry, but not absolutely so, especially when young, that 

 persistently damp weather has no influence upon them. Even that most 

 characteristic, and characteristically dry, species Russula virescens may be 

 gathered with fragments of grass closely agglutinated to the pileus, and yet the 

 wood nymphs carry no fairy gum pot, for the delusion of corporeal fungus 

 hunters. 



Apropos of the cuticle, a curious phenomenon may be observed in two or 

 three species — and we have observed it only in two or three — in which the cuticle of 

 the pileus is continued for some distance from the margin along the edge of the gills 

 in a coloured line. This may often be seen in Bussula Icpida, especially when the 

 cuticle remains red or pink. This fact is alluded to by Fries ("Men," p. 191), 

 where he says : — " Acie vero, prsecipue marginem versus, saepe rubrae ob marginem 

 pilei cum lamellis contiguum, ut etiam in sequente," that is in Russula rubra. 

 Not only in these two species, but also in another, which we have called R. 

 granulosa, an ochraceous species, the darker line is continuous from the margin of 

 the pileus along the edge of the gills, for a considerable distance, like a coloured 

 edge. As a sort of collateral evidence this fact may sometimes be useful in 

 determination. 



The final reference we have to make to the cuticle is to remind you 

 that the tomentose cuticle is a rarity almost unknown in Russula. We have 

 the viscid and comparatively dry cuticle, opaque or shining, bright or dull, 

 but not the really tomentose pileus. There is a near approach to it in 

 R. punctata, Gillet, at times, but a kind of pulverulence is the closest approach 

 we commonly obtain to a tomentose cuticle. Russula amccna, Quelet, is 

 affirmed to have a pulverulent pileus ; and so pulverulent is that of R. marice, 

 Peck, a North American species, that the red powder comes off on paper, 

 or may be washed into water, to which latter it gives a pink tinge. On the other 

 hand we have a variation from the absolutely smooth pileus, in those species 

 in which the cuticle breaks up into small areolae, or even into minute adherent 

 granules. The best examples are those of R. virescens, R. cutefracta, R. xeravipe- 

 lina, R. punctata, and R. granulosa. It may be added that we regard this 

 character as a very strong and useful one, and, for aught we know or believe, 

 constant. 



This brings our " Notes and Queries " almost to a close. Any comparison 

 of species, or critical observations on the limits of species, or the direction of their 

 variability, must be postponed to some period when figures of all the British 

 species can be turned to in illustration. As this time is, we hope, not many 

 months distant, the subject may soon be resumed. It will be well worthy of the 

 labour if we can succeed in rendering the Russula: more intelligible, and this we 

 shall still endeavour to accomplish. The number of available characters is greatly 

 reduced in this genus, and we are compelled to fall back on minute distinctions 

 which are little regarded in other groups, but by making good use of our eyes, it 

 may be possible to initiate an improvement. 



