CHAPTER III 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI 



As would be expected, many different schemes have been de^'ised 

 for the classification of the fungi. Many of these are somewhat 

 complicated, being replete with microscopic details, which, however 

 important, could not be grasped by the beginner, and must be 

 left until some progress has been made in the study. For the present 

 an outline of the groups including the larger fungi dealt with in this 

 volume alone will be submitted, and even in this case the primary 

 divisions depend on microscopic characters. Fortunately, these 

 microscopic characters coincide with very ob\'ious structural 

 features, which can be studied even in the field, or with the aid of a 

 pocket lens at most. 



FUNGI 



As a definition of the nature of fungi has already been attempted, 

 a repetition is not necessary at this point, and the primary divisions 

 will now be dealt with. 



Basidiomycetes 



The one cardinal point in which thousands of different species 

 of fungi, met with throughout the world, agree, is that the spores are 

 borne outside the cell or basidium that bears them (Fig. 9, Plate A). 

 They are, as already described, produced at the tip of a compara- 

 tively large cell, or basidium as it is called, and are usually four in 

 number. So much for the microscopic character, which can be 

 clearly seen if a thin section across the gill of any agaric is examined 

 under a microscope having a magnifying power of about four hun- 

 dred diameters. All the common toadstools or gill-bearing fungi 

 belong here, also all the tube-bearing fungi, the bracket fungi, the 

 club-sliaped fungi ; also the numerous crust-like patches of various 

 colours that grow on dead trunks, bark, many of which are not 

 much thicker in substance than a coat of paint on the wood. In 

 addition to the foregoing, all the puffballs, stinkhorns, etc., and one 

 group of the subterranean fungi, more or less resembling small 

 potatoes, also belong to this group, which practically covers the 

 greater part of the fungi described in this book. 



We can now pass on to the second ])rimary group of fungi 

 touched upon in this volume. 



w C. State CoWtt* 



