HYMENOMYCETES 131 



common mushroom may be taken as an illustration of the 

 former, and some species of Marasmius or Lentinus of the 

 latter. 



This brings us in face of the fleshy, or Molles, section of 

 white-spored Agarics, containing in 1893 about 1750 species, 

 of which not more than 430 are British, having the edge of 

 the gills acute and the folds of the hymenium separable. 

 This corresponds therefore with the Leucosporae section of the 

 old genus Agaricus. Nevertheless there are additional genera 

 which agree in their fleshy substance but differ in other 

 particulars. In this category Hygrophorus is a genus by itself, 

 with the gills continuous with the pileus, and not separable 

 from the trama. Thus the gills and the pileus are practically 

 of one piece. Many, and indeed most of them, are more or 

 less glutinous when fresh, and perhaps for this reason are 

 capable of enduring more frost than others of the fleshy Agarics. 

 In addition to these are two genera which have the substance 

 of the pileus of a peculiar vesicular character, soft and fragile, 

 but which have also another remarkable feature of affinity 

 with each other in the spores being normally globose. These 

 two genera are Russula and Lactarius, 

 the latter with and the former without 

 a milky juice (Fig. 50). In habit and 

 appearance they most resemble Tricho- 

 loma, but a little experience will soon 

 distinguish the difference. They are 

 almost absolutely terrestrial and soli- 

 tary, with a short robust stem, and 

 many of the Russulae have a brightly 

 coloured pileus. Commonly, but not 

 universally, the gills in Russula reach 

 from the margin to the stem without Fia - ^-LactaHus ddieioms, 



s with section and spores. 



intervening short gills; or, when 



shorter gills are present, these usually anastomose with the long 

 gills, so as to appear as if the latter were forked. Finally 

 there is a small group — consisting of four genera, of which 

 Cantharellus is the chief — in which the edge of the gills is 

 obtuse or vein-like. All these subsidiary groups together con- 

 tain about 500 species, bringing the total of fleshy, white- 



