306 STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



plant, and which is described in connection with the genera in which 

 it occurs. 



The few typical characters described here will help the student 

 to become familiar with terms applied to them. In nature, however, 

 typical cases rarely exist, and it is often necessary to draw distinc- 

 tion between differences so slight that it is almost impossible to 

 describe them. Only by patient study and a thorough acquaintance 

 with the characters of each genus can one hope to become familiar 

 with the many mushrooms growing in our woods and fields. 



