CLASSIFICATION 179 



D. — Cyathiformes 

 Flesh of cap thin (consisting of two separable sheets), disc not 

 compact, hygrophanous, depressed, then cup-shaped ; gills adnate 

 at first, then decurrent. Colour ding}' when moist. 



E.— Orbiformes 

 Cap somewhat fleshy, hygrophanous, convex, then flattened or 

 depressed, polished, not squamulose nor mealy ; gills plane, 

 horizontal, crowded, thin, adnate or with a decurrent tooth. 

 Colour dingy or watery, becoming pale. 



F. — Versiformes 

 Cap thin, convex, then deformed, tough, more or less squamulose 

 or scurfy ; gills adnate, broad, rather thick, for the most part 

 thick and powdered with white from the spores. 



A. — DiSCIFORMES 



* Cap grey or brownish. 



C. nehidaris (PI. XVI, fig. i).— Cap very fleshy, thick at the disc 

 and thinning out to the edge, convex, often obtusely gibbous, 

 greyish, soon pale and livid, smooth, 3-5 in. across ; gills slightly 

 decurrent, crowded, rather narrow, white, then pallid ; stem stout, 

 slightly thinner upwards, whitish, fibrillosely striate, firm, 2-3 in. 

 long. 



Cap clouded with grey or tinged brown, then often pallid. In 

 large specimens, wfiich reach up to 7-8 in. diameter, the cap is 

 often wavy. Among the best and safest of edible fungi. 



In woods, among dead leaves, etc. 



C. clavipes. — Cap fleshy, convex, soon almost plane, at length 

 often almost obconical, very obtuse, even, smooth, dry, sometimes 

 all one colour, brownish, sooty or livid-grey, sometimes whitish 

 towards the edge, rarely altogether whitish, 1^-3 in. across ; gills 

 deeply decurrent, running as hues down the stem, rather distant, 

 soft, broad, persistently white ; stem conically narrowed upwards, 

 rather fibrillose, livid-sooty, spongy, about 2 in. long. 



Somewhat resembling C. nehularis in colour, but altogether 

 smaller, and readily known by the much swollen base of the stem. 



In woods, especially of conifers. 



C. comitalis. — Cap fleshy, convex, then plane, obtuse, even, 

 smooth, rather moist, but not hygrophanous, entirely sooty-umber, 

 almost black, about i J in. across ; gills very slightly decurrent, thin, 

 crowded, white ; stem equally narrowed upwards from the base, 

 smooth, sooty, elastic, 2-3 in. long. 



Known by the blackish colour of the almost flat cap, and the very 

 slightly decurrent gills. Allied to C. clavipes, l)ut smaller and firmer 

 in texture, and differing in the giUs being only slightly decurrent. 



