1 78 CRYPTOGAM1A FUNGI. 



ING. The Ag. lateritius is drier and more corky, the stalk 

 thicker in proportion to the length, the pileus less expand- 

 ed, smaller and darker coloured ; but the principal distinc- 

 tion lies, as I think, in their mod? of growth. The va- 

 rious individuals composing a tuft of Ag. fascicularis rise to 

 nearly an equal height, and, from the flatness of the pi- 

 leus, it appears to be almost level-topped ; but in Ag. la- 

 teritius the plants are more closely clustered, and they rise 

 in tiers one above another, as is well expressed in our 

 figure, the higher sitting upon and overshadowing those 

 beneath them. 



33. A. semiglobatus, stalk cylindrical, slender, rather tough, yel- 

 lowish ; pileus semiglobular, yellow or reddish-orange, varnished ; 

 gills grey, mottled, very broad, and rather distant WITH. iv. 

 306. Sow. Fung. t. 248. HOOK. Scot. ii. 23. GREV. Fl. Edin. 

 391 ; Crypt. Fl t. 344. Ag. virosus, Sow. Fung. t. 407- 



Hob. In old pastures near dung, common. 



Stalk in general about 3 inches long, thicker than a crow- 

 quill, tough, hollow, more or less waved near the base, 

 slightly stained with black near the top the remains of 

 the collar. The gills " form an horizontal line from the 

 stem to the edge of the pileus," which measures about an 

 inch in diameter, sometimes more, commonly not so much. 

 It is smooth, thin, viscid and gummy in moist weather, 

 retains its semiglobular shape during its course, and re- 

 mains a long time. Mr SOWERBY mentions that a family 

 at Mitcham, in Essex, were poisoned by eating some of 

 this mushroom ; but Dr GREVILLE doubts whether this 

 was really the species. It is very certain that many of 

 SOWERBY'S figures, in his tab. 407 and 408, represent 

 f\mgi distinct from Ag semiglobatus, which is remarkable 

 for constancy to its characters. " Accidents arising from 

 the deadly fungi being mistaken for eatable mushrooms, 

 are common on the Continent, and especially in France, 

 They are by no means unfrequent, too, in Britain ; but 

 they are much less frequent than abroad, because the epi- 

 cure's catalogue of mushrooms in this country contains 

 only three species, whose characters are too distinct to be 

 mistaken by a person of ordinary skill; while abroad a 

 great variety of them have found their way to the table, 

 many of which are not only liable to be confounded with 

 poisonous species, but are even also themselves of doubtful 

 quality." Dr CHRISTISON. 



