192 THE SECOND BOOK OF BOTANY. 



behind, and bring only the fruit. The part concealed 

 in the rich mould, or spread on its surface, is a tangled 

 mass of filaments that you might mistake for fibrous 

 roots ; but it answers to the root, stem, and leaves of 

 higher plants. This portion of the plant is called the 

 mycelium, represented by the root-like fibrous portion 

 of Fig. 354. 



FIG. 35t 



When you are looking for the mycelium of mush- 

 rooms, observe the young fruit just appearing above 

 the surface. You may often find it in clusters, in 

 all stages of growth, in rich mould, or on decayed 

 logs or stumps. 



Fig. 354 represents a full-grown mushroom and 

 several younger ones at different periods of devel- 

 opment. The younger ones are smooth, globular 

 masses, but, as they get larger, the outer wrappage 

 breaks, as you see at the right in the figure, and re- 

 veals a stem with an umbrella-like cap. The ring 

 around the stalk, seen in the full-grown specimen, 

 shows where this covering, called the volva, was at- 

 tached. The stout stem is called a stipe, and its cap 

 the pileus. Along the under surface of the pileus 

 you see numerous thin plates, called gills, and it is 



