FIELD BOOK OF COMMON GILLED MUSHROOMS 



On arriving at home with the collected fungi, they should 

 be spread out on a convenient surface, the collector remember- 

 ing the liability of many species to decay quickly. 



No single feature of any mushroom is sufficient to determine 

 its identity or its edibility. It cannot be too often emphasized 

 that the only certain way in which a mushroom may be identi- 

 fied is to know it thoroughly. Once its personality is estab- 

 lished in the collector's mind, he will recognize it as he would 

 the face of a friend. 



There are other characters than general shape and color 

 which distinguish mushrooms from each other. These other 

 characters need careful scrutiny in determining the species to 

 which a specimen belongs as is the case among many things 

 met with in our everyday affairs. Careful attention to the 

 especial characters and parts of mushrooms will soon famili- 

 arize one with their peculiarities and will enable him to use 

 this guide or any text book on mushrooms intelligently. To 

 this end the student of mushrooms will do well to make written 

 notes of the features of gilled fungi collected by him, using as 

 a guide the form for field notes which will be found on page 24. 



Spore prints of mushrooms show the color of the spores and 

 are sometimes indispensable before a specimen can be unmis- 

 takably identified. In many instances however, specimens 

 can be identified by means of this key in the field or at home 

 without waiting for the making of spore prints. 



Spore prints are made by laying the mature cap from which 

 the stem has been cut and gills downward upon a piece of 

 paper. It is protected from draughts of air by being covered 

 with a glass tumbler. In order to get satisfactory prints, 

 care should be taken to have the gills in a vertical position. 

 After a few hours a print of the gills, radiating from the center 

 like the spokes of a wheel, will be found upon the paper. (Fig i .) 

 The color of the spore print assists in determining to what fam- 

 ily of mushrooms the specimen belongs. There are five of these 



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