BOLBITIUS. 



In damp shady grassy places. Rare. Sept. 



Name TNxepa. a day ; jSws, life. Living for a day. Fr. Monogr. i. p. 468. 

 Hym. Eur. p. 332. Berk. Out. p. 182. C. Hbk. n. 479. S. Mycol. Scot. n. 

 439. Fl. Dan. t. 1960. /. 2. A. campanulatus Bolt. t. 31. 



Coprinus. 



GENUS IV. Bolbitius (&6\&irov, cows' dung). Fr. Epicr. p. 253. Bolbitius. 



Hymenophore somewhat separate. Universal veil none, partial 

 one in most rudimentary. Gills membranaceous, soft, becoming 

 moist (but not melting away), at 

 length pulverulent with the separ- 

 ating spores. Spores ovate, even, 

 somewhat ferruginous. Mucid, moist 

 fungi, soon fading (and not reviving], 

 yellowish. 



A small and very natural group, 

 resembling the Coprini in the mode 

 of growth, the Cortinarii in their 

 fructification, and constituting there- 

 fore a genus intermediate between 

 these. To this genus is now referred 

 A. hydrophilus, a species of doubtful 

 affinity, and A. conocephalus. Fr. 

 Hym. Eur. p. 333. 



Intermediate on the one hand be- 

 tween Agaricus and Coprinus, and 

 on the other between Coprinus and Cortinarius. 



The species grow on dung, or manured ground near roads and 

 towns. Their bright colour is attractive. 



1. B. hydrophilus Fr. Pileus about 4 cent. (\y z in.) broad, 

 date-brown when moist, tawny when dry, fleshy-membranaceous, 

 bullate then convex and expanded ; when fresh moist, even, when 

 dry wrinkled (the prominent disc however even), the bent-in mar- 

 gin undulated ; flesh very thin, easily scissile, white when dry. 

 Stems 5 cent. (2 in.) long, 2-4 mm. (1-2 lin.) thick, fistulose, some- 

 what curved and often compressed, under a lens reticulated with 

 fibrils, at first white then becoming ferruginous, obsoletely slightly 

 mealy at the apex. Veil marginal, fringing, white, very fugaci- 

 ous, often none. Gills adnate, ventricose, so that occasionally 

 they appear almost free, crowded, watery, shedding drops^ date- 

 broiun-fnscous. 



XXXIX. Bolbitius fragilis. 

 One-half natural size. 



