BOLBITIUS. 205 



slippery gluten; afterwards becomes convex, but most fre- 

 quently with the centre a little elevated ; in the progress of 

 growth, the margin becomes striated, and frequently rent ; 

 at last the whole plant dissolves in a brown jelly. 



Grows on dunghills, after rain, June and July. (Bolton.) 



Bolbitius Boltoni. Fr. 



Pileus rather fleshy, viscid, at first even, then with the 

 membranaceous margin sulcate, disc darker subdepressed ; 

 stem attenuated, yellowish, at first floccose from the remains of 

 the fugacious veil ; gills subadnate, yellow then livid-brown, 



Bolbitius Boltoni, Fries, Epicr., p. 254 ; Fries, Hym. Eur., 

 p. 334; Cke., Hdbk., p. 234; Cke., Illustr., pi. 689 (not 

 Bolton, pi. 149). 



Amongst heaps of leaves in places where dung abounds. 

 Pileus at first conical, yellow, becoming pale, at length dry 

 and papery. Spores fuscous-brown. (Fries.) 



Fries has seen the fungus described above in a living 

 condition, and at the same time considered it to be identical 

 with the fungus called Agaricus flavidus by Bolton, p. 149, 

 and figured on pi. 149 ; but when the descriptions by Boltou 

 and Fries are compared, it will be seen that there are some 

 discrepancies, the main feature in Fries' plant, as indicated 

 by italics, is "disco obscuriore subdepresso" whereas Bolton 

 says most frequently with the centre (of the pileus) a little 

 elevated, and during recent years Mr. Phillips of Shrewsbury 

 has found a fungus on dung that accords exactly with Bol ton's 

 description and figure, having the pileus slightly gibbous, 

 and not subdepressed and darker as stated by Fries, the 

 spores in Mr. Phillips's specimens are clear brown, not 

 " brunneo fuscae," as in Fries' fungus, and the gills are free. 

 The specimens found by Mr. Phillips are figured in Cooke's 

 Illustrations, pi. 689. 



The plant of Fries, judging from his quotation of Bolton's. 

 iignre, must be about the same size as the latter, but being 

 dibtinct from Bolton's fungus, with which it has hitherto 

 been confounded, it is doubtful whether the Bolbitius Boltoni^ 

 Fries, is a native of Britain. 



Bolbitius fragilis. Fr. 

 Pileus about 1 in. across, almost membranaceous, viscid, 



