40 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



conical, often bell-shaped, and varies in color through the grays 

 and browns. In size the cap is seldom over an inch in diameter. 

 The gills are thin, with connecting veins, and are joined to the 

 stem by a small decurrent tooth. This species is most abundant 

 during the fall. 



LACTARIUS Fr. 



The writer has enjoyed more meals of the species of this 

 genus than of any other in the group of fleshy fungi. In 

 August, 1906, the author was to speak on " Mushrooms " at the 

 Prospect House, Mt. Holyoke, Mass. On his arrival it was 

 learned that the papers in near-by cities had announced that 

 mushrooms gathered under his supervision would be served in 

 the dining room of the hotel from August 9th to August 13th. 

 The prospect of gathering mushrooms in sufficient quantities for 

 from thirty to forty-five guests was almost appalling. This genus 

 and Cantharelliis came to the writer's aid, and furnished 

 delicious edible fungi in sufficient quantities to meet all demands. 

 As its name signifies, the genus is characterized by an abundance 

 of milky juice in the tissue of the plants. 



Lactarius volemus Fr. (Plate X, Bull. No. 3.) There is 

 seldom a week in the summer months when this species is not 

 abundant in the woods in the vicinity of Mansfield. It is seldom 

 found in the deeper, thicker woodland, but delights in open chest- 

 nut sprout-land which has a southern exposure. The caps have 

 an orange-brown color, quite characteristic of the species; and, 

 when once learned, the plant is seldom mistaken. The surface 

 of the cap is smooth, or slightly wrinkled in the center. The cap 

 is quite symmetrical in shape, with a somewhat inrolled margin 

 when young, becoming plane with age. Frequently the center 

 becomes depressed, giving the cap a cup-like appearance. The 

 flesh is white and firm, and filled with an abundance of white 

 milk. This immediately darkens when exposed to the air, and 

 becomes thick and stringy. In the older specimens this abundance 

 of milk is frequently lacking. The gills are white, often tinted 

 with the russet color of the cap, and these are quickly discolored 

 when handled. They are usually squarely attached to the stem, 

 but sometimes have decurrent lines running down the stem. The 

 stem varies from one to four inches in length and from one-half 



