108 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Now, this description furnishes us with sufificient data to fix the 

 order and genus of our fungus. The gill-like structure, as I said 

 before, shows it to belong to the order Agaricini. The firm, 

 acute edges of the gills determine its genus, Agaricus, and the 

 white spores, with the presence of a universal volva, relegate it 

 to the sub-genus Amanita. The other Agarics found were much 

 smaller than the Amanita, and the differences in structure were 

 so specific that they would not be wortliy of notice in a general 

 paper such as this. It might, however, be well to remark the 

 colour of the spores. As I mentioned in a former paper, the 

 colour of the spores is very important in determining the sub- 

 genera in most fungi, particularly in the Agaricini. There are 

 over two thousand species of the genus Agaricus. These are 

 divided into five series by the colour of the spores — white, salmon- 

 coloured, ferruginous, purple, brown, and black ; consequently, 

 if the colour be known, the fungus can be at once placed in its 

 proper division. 



An immense number of Agarics have appeared this season. 

 Almost on every piece of scattered manure the little round- 

 topped A. semiglobatus might be found, its white stem contrasting 

 well with the dark gills. In the rich soil of the shady nooks of 

 Albert Park and Sandringham, clusters of the delicate A. dissemi- 

 natus and A.fimicola were to be seen ; in fact, numberless species 

 of Agarics were found by me at Mentone, Cheltenham, Eltham, 

 Heidelberg, and Sandringham, besides the parks in the immediate 

 vicinity of Melbourne ; some growing amongst the grass, others, 

 such as A. umbelliferus on the bare ground, others on roots, 

 stumps, old logs — in fact, any place where there was shade and 

 moisture. A. candescens is worthy of remark, as it has been very 

 plentiful this season. It is found in clumps at the base of half- 

 rotted stumps. The cap, which is broad and leaf-like, is variously 

 coloured from grey to purple. The stem grows from one side of 

 the cap, giving the fungus a very singular appearance ; but the 

 most remarkable circumstance concerning it is its luminosit)'. 

 In the daylight it presents no difference from the ordinary fungus, 

 but in the dark it shows a distinct phosphorescent light. In one 

 specimen obtained near the Survey Paddock the brilliancy was so 

 great that I was enabled to read easily .the words of the news- 

 paper on which it was placed. The bank of the Yarra near 

 Eltham was excellent ground for fungi this season. The hard, 

 woody Polypofus australis and leathery Polyporus spumeiis were 

 found on many eucalypti. The jelly-like Tremeila albida covered 

 the tops of the rotten logs, while beneath the logs, or among the 

 thick scrub, Bolhitius ftagilis might be found in quantities. Its 

 name is well deserved, for it is almost impossible to touch it with- 

 out injuring or totally destroying it. On half-rotting pieces 

 of baric white woolly-looking fungi were found, These were 



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