September 153 



quisite butterflies ; their delicate wings, unspoiled 

 by wear and tear, show their bright colours to 

 perfection. Perhaps my greatest pleasure is ulti- 

 mately to set the captives free, and see them soar 

 away into space to enjoy their brief life of summer 

 flowers and sunshine. 



FUNGI 



We are now being reminded of the approach of 

 autumn by the appearance of various species of 

 toadstools. They spring up in the woods, on our 

 lawns, or on decaying tree-stems ; and as the wild 

 flowers and fruits are nearly over, we shall find in 

 them a new and extremely interesting field of study. 



Let us collect and examine some of the different 

 kinds of fungi we meet with so abundantly in our 

 daily walks. 



Seeing that there are considerably over a thousand 

 species of named fungi, ranging from the microscopic 

 films and moulds which appear on decaying fruit, 

 stale bread and other substances, up to the giant 

 puff-ball, which sometimes measures a foot in dia- 

 meter, it is clear that we shall only have space for 

 a few general remarks upon the commoner species 

 of fungi we are likely to meet with. 



We are all familiar with the edible mushroom 

 (Agarzcus cattipestris], so we will select it as a 

 type of the agarics, of which I believe there are 

 several hundred species. It is well to know the 

 right terms to use in describing a fungus, so we 

 will trace the growth of one from its beginning, and 

 learn the parts of which it consists. 



If we dig up a mushroom and examine it 



