WHITE-SPORED AGARICS. 137 



duced on one side than on the other, or it may be attached at or 

 near the center of the top, when the cap is more evenly developed 

 on all sides. It is often crenate or lobed on the margin, the 

 larger plants showing this character more prominently. The margin 

 is incurved. The. gills are white, wooly, branched and extend out 

 toward the margin of the cap like the radiations of a fan. The gills 

 are deeply split along the edge, and strongly revolute. It is a very 

 pretty plant, but one becomes rather tired of collecting it because it 

 is so common. It may be found at all seasons of the year on dead 

 sticks and branches, either in the woods or elsewhere, if the branches 

 are present. It is very coriaceous, and tough. During dry weather 

 it is much shrunken and curled up, but during rains it expands 

 quickly and then it is seen in its beauty. 



Figure 133 shows the plant in the expanded condition, from the 

 under side. The plants were growing on a hickory branch, and 

 were dry and shrunken when brought in the laboratory. The branch 

 and the fungus were placed in water for a few hours, when the fun- 

 gus expanded, and was then photographed in this condition. 



TROGIA Fr. 



This genus is characterized, according to Fries, by the gills being 

 channeled along the edge, but singularly the only species attributed 

 to the genus in Europe and in our country has not channeled gills, 

 but only somewhat crisped along the edges. It is usually, therefore, 

 a difficult matter for a beginner to determine the plant simply from 

 this description. The gills are furthermore narrow, irregular, and 

 the plants are somewhat soft and flabby when wet, but brittle and 

 persistent when dry, so that when moistened they revive and appear 

 as if fresh. 



Trogia crispa Fr. This species is the principal if not only one in 

 Europe and America. It is widely distributed, and sometimes not 

 very uncommon. It occurs on trunks, branches, etc., often on the 

 birch. The plants are from 0.5-1 cm. broad, usually sessile. The 

 upper surface is whitish or reddish yellow toward the attachment, 

 sometimes tan color, and when young it is sometimes covered with 

 whitish hairs. The gills are very narrow, vein-like, irregular, inter- 

 rupted or continuous, and often more or less branched. The gills are 

 very much crisped, hence the name, blunt at the edge and white or 

 bluish gray. The caps are usually much crowded and overlapped in 

 an imbricated fashion as shown in Fig. 134; a photograph of a fme 

 specimen after being moistened. 



