DUSKY CAPS. 73 



but not depressed. The margin is at first strongly 

 curved inwards, but at length is flattened out, and, 

 when old, with a tendency to bend outwards ; it is quite 

 smooth, a little streaky, and viscid, so that leaves will 

 adhere to it. Its usual colour is a cloudy grey, 

 darker at the centre, and pale at the edge ; sometimes 

 it is a creamy or dirty white, with a greyish centre, 

 but this is chiefly in late grown specimens. There is 

 often a kind of glaucous bloom on the caps, like the 

 " bloom " of a plum. The flesh is very thick, especi- 

 ally about the centre, and gradually attenuated 

 towards the margin, white and unchangeable. The 

 stem is from two to four inches long, and rarely six, 

 from half an inch to upwards of an inch thick, nearly 

 equal, or a little thickened below, adhering at the 

 base by a floccose white mycelium, dirty white, and 

 longitudinally striate, spongy within but seldom 

 becoming hollow. The gills are rather narrow for the 

 size of the cap, and attenuated behind, so as to run a 

 little way down, the stem, they are numerous and close, 

 and creamy white. The spores are small and white. 

 The odour is rather strong and fungoid ; Dr Badham 

 says it is like curd cheese, whilst others content them- 

 selves with describing it as strong. When raw the 

 flavour is mild. As already suggested, its favourite 

 place of growth is amongst dead leaves. In large 

 gardens it is the custom to sweep up the fallen leaves 

 in the autumn, and deposit them in a heap, in a quiet 

 corner to rot. On such heaps we have invariably 



