132 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FUNGI 



spored Agarics of all kinds up to 2250 species, or nearly one 

 half of the whole gill-bearing Hymenomycetes. 



The other section of the Haplophyllae, with a tough per- 

 sistent substance, includes six genera in which the substance 

 is at first fleshy, or gelatinous, and then becoming leathery, 

 and three genera in which the substance is always more or less 

 corky or woody. As might be anticipated, these are almost the 

 only representatives of the gill-bearing Hymenomycetes which 

 extend into tropical countries. Of the six genera first alluded 

 to, Marasmius approaches nearest to the soft-fleshed Agarics, 

 such as Collybia and Mycena, and might readily be confounded, 

 save for their tougher and drier substance. The larger pro- 

 portion are of a small size, and these affect dead wood and 

 leaves. Lentinus often attains a large size, and, with the 

 exception of a few European species, is a tropical or sub- 

 tropical genus. The technical distinction between Pawns and 

 Lentinus is that in the former the edge of the gills is even, and 

 in the latter toothed or ragged. In order to complete our 

 numerical estimate, we may add that the Tenaces section of 

 Haplophyllae is represented by about 810 species. The next 

 order of Hymenomycetes, the Polyporeae, is approached most 

 nearly in one direction by Lenzites, which is the analogue in 

 the Agaricineae of Daedalea in the Polyporeae. 



It seems unnecessary in this place to descend any lower 

 with an analysis of the Leucosporae. The analytical key to the 

 genera in any good local flora will -indicate the salient features 

 in each genus, which it would be rather tedious to introduce into 

 a book having the character of a general introduction, and 

 would moreover extend this chapter to an inordinate lerjgth. 



We must now revert to Saccardo's' second primary group 

 of the Agaricineae — that of the Phodosporae, so called on account 

 of the spores being pink or of a salmon colour. It may at the 

 same time be intimated that, although in some instances these 

 spores are elliptical and smooth, they are often coarsely warted 

 and angular. The group in itself seems to be a very natural 

 one, for the species are all soft and fleshy, and even more 

 putrescent than the softer of the Leucosporae. In all countries 

 they constitute the smallest of the four primary groups of the 

 Agaricineae, and have often a disagreeable odour. The total 



