126 Thirty-eighth Eeport on the State Museum. 



white ; spores white, nearly smooth, .00025 to »ooo3 in.; milk white, 

 abundant, taste very acrid. 



Pileus 1.5 to 4 in. broad, stem .5 to 2 in. long, 5 to 10 lines thick. 



Thin woods, pastures and grassy places. Common. July to Sep- 

 cember. 



The glabrous or sometimes merely pruinose pileus, the crowded and 

 frequently forked narrow lamellae separate this species from the other 

 white ones. The lamellae are one to two lines broad, their width being 

 less than the thickness of the flesh of the pileus. The stem is either 

 very short or quite long, according to the place of growth, it being 

 longer when growing in woods among fallen leaves than when growing in 

 open grassy places. In the summer of 1883 this and the two preced- 

 ing species were abundant in the town of Sandlake, and all grew in the 

 same locality. By a little practice they were readily distinguishable, 

 even without a close inspection. 



Most authors agree in attributing edible qualities to this species, not- 

 withstanding its intense acridity. Badham says that he has frequently 

 eaten it, and that according to Berkeley it is preserved for winter use by 

 pickling in salt and vinegar. Cordier says that it is an agreeable ali- 

 ment and is eaten in many countries, and that cows eat it with avidity, 

 but that it renders their milk and butter nauseous. Fries says it is edi- 

 ble, and it is so classed in Curtis' Catalogue. Gillet states that although 

 it does not constitute an agreeable article of food, it is eaten in some 

 parts of France, and that the Russians make frequent use of it. 



Lactarius albidus, Peck. 



White Lactarius. 



Pileus thin, plane or slightly depressed, glabrous, dry, white ; lamellae 

 subdistant, adnate or slightly decurrent. white, the interspaces venose ; 

 stem equal, solid, glabrous, white ; spores white, .0003 to .00035 m i 

 milk white, taste acrid. 



Pileus 1.5 to 3 in. broad, stem 1 to 2 in. long, 3 to 5 lines thick. 



Thin woods. Karner. September. Very rare. 



This Lactarius has been observed but once, and then but few speci- 

 mens were seen, yet it appears to be distinct from all our other white 

 species in its thin pileus, subdistant lamellae, venose interspaces and 

 rather slender stem. Except in color, it has some similarity to the 

 next species. 



Lactarius varius, n. sp. 



Variable Lactarius. 



Pileus thin, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or centrally depressed, 

 sometimes with a minute umbo or papilla, glabrous, even or obscurely 

 roughened, submoist, zoneless or rarely narrowly zonate on the margin, 

 gray or brown, often tinged with lilac, lamellae close, adnate or subde- 

 current, whitish or cream colored, becoming dingy-greenish where 

 wounded ; stem equal, elastic, glabrous, solid or spongy within, paler 

 than or colored like the pileus ; spores white, .0003 to .00035 m -5 mn ^ 

 white, taste tardily acrid, odor none, flesh white. 



Pileus 1 to 2.5 in. broad, stem 1 to 2.5 in. long, 2 to 4 lines thick. 



