AGARICUS 117 



interior of tlie gill and note their position among the sterile cells in 

 the hymenium. Show these points in a detailed drawing. 

 3. Observe the color of the spores, best determined by spore prints 

 obtained when the pileus is cut off the stalk and placed gill side 

 down on a sheet of paper and left over night under a bell jar or 

 tumbler. Use black paper if the gills are white. 

 B. Development of the fructification. Study the young " but- 

 ton" stages of the toadstool. Cut them lengthwise and 

 determine the position of the j)arts of the mature fructifica- 

 tion. This examination should make clear the relation of 

 the stalk to the cap above and the cup below, if present. 

 Note that the gills are developed in a chamber whose roof 

 is the cap and whose floor is the veil, finally ruptured by 

 the expansion of the cap and remaining as the ring in 

 some types. Illustrate these points in outline sketches or 

 diagrams. 

 Questions. What seasonal conditions are best for gill fungi, 

 and what for fleshy, pore, and tooth fungi ? Describe the 

 habits of growth of gill fungi in pastures and lawns. What 

 is a fairy ring ? Can you account for its form ? Do you 

 know of any parasitic gill fungi attacking trees ? 



121. Puffballs, earth stars, and nest fungi. Study types in the field in 

 reference to the substratum. Where are the vegetative portions of the plant ? 

 Examine the fructifications in various stages of development. Make habit 

 sketches. 



1. Cut sections lengthwise and observe the texture of the envelopes inclos- 

 ing the spore chamber. Note the way in which the chamber opens and 

 the spores are distributed. 



2. In the spore chamber observe the fibrous remains of sterile tissue and 

 the powdery spores. The nest fungi exhibit special complexities in the 

 form of egg-like structures which contain the spores. 



THE LIVERWORTS, OR HEPATIC^ 



122. Field work on the liverworts and mosses. The liverworts and mosses 

 can be advantageously studied together in the field since many species of 

 both groups grow in similar situations. The chief types of localities are 

 (1) wet swamps, especially Sphagnum bogs, frequented by other mosses and 



