CLASSIFICATION 169 



Whole plant green and viscid at first, becoming yellow as the 

 green slime disappears, except apex of stem, which remains green. 



In pastures, etc. 



H. spadiceus. — Cap campanulate, then expanded, obtuse, very 

 glutinous, streaked with black fibrils, olive-bay, black when dry, 

 shining, 2-4 in. across ; gills broad, lemon-yellow, distant ; stem 

 striate with brownish fibrils, ground-colour yellowish, straight, 

 hollow, about 3 in. long. 



Much resembling H. conicus, but firmer and not becoming black 

 or presenting a scorched appearance ^^'hen growing ; quite black 

 when dry ; gills thicker, more distant, and not narrowed behind. 



In mossy meadows, etc. 



H. unguinosus.- — Cap campanulate, then expanded, obtuse, 

 covered with tough, smoky brown, dripping gluten, at length 

 cracking, about 2 in. across; gills adnate, ventricose, distant, thick, 

 broad, connected by veins, whitish, becoming glaucous, soft ; stem 

 ventricose as a rule, more or less compressed, glutinous, hollow, 

 coloured like the cap, about 2 in. long. 



Very fragile ; inodorous. Covered with a dense smoke-coloured 

 gluten when growing. 



In moist woods, etc. 



H. nitratus. — Fragile, smell very strong, nitrous. Cap cam- 

 panulate, then expanded, and usually wavy, viscid, soon dry and 

 squamulose, dingy greyish brown, 1^-2^ in. across ; gills adnate, 

 soon separating from the stem ; broad, distant, white, then glau- 

 cous ; stem thick, unequal, more or less compressed, polished, 

 whitish or yellowish, 2-3 in. long. 



Size variable. Distinguished by the obscure colour and strong 

 nitrous smell. 



In pastures. 



var. glauco-nitens.- — Rigid. Cap streaked, blackish olive or sooty, 

 becoming pale ; gills becoming glaucous ; stem equal, shining. 



Among grass. 



Sub-genus II — Camarophyllus 



H. caprinus. — Cap conical, then expanded and umbonate, be- 

 coming depressed and rather wavy, moist, streaked, sooty brown or 

 blackish, 3-4 in. across ; gills deeply decurrent, very broad and very 

 distant, thick, pure white, then glaucous ; stem fibrillose, sooty, 

 solid, 2-3 in. long. 



The largest species in the genus, very distinct and cannot be 

 confounded witli any other. 



In pine woods ; rare. 



H. leporinns. — Cap convex, gibbous, equal, broken up into 

 floccose fibrils, reddish yellow, opaque, about 2 in. across ; gills 

 decurrent, rather narrow, yellowish red ; stem more or less fusiform, 

 fibrillose, pallid, sometimes tawny at the base, about 2 in. long. 



