

424 Mr. Wooswarn's Account of a 
with mucilage, making it much heavier than when it has 
attained its full growth. This is the ftate to which the de- 
{cription given above refers. The duit is now perfeetly formed, 
and is difperfed by the flighteft touch, or by the wind, A 
great alteration foon takes place, as it now proceeds very rapidly, — 
and in a few days attains the fummit of its growth, which is 
from nine to fifteen inches, more than half being generally 
buried in the ground, The ftem becomes woody, though 
hollow, the bark ftill more ragged, and the whole plant much 
lighter, both volva and {tem being now quite dry, and free 
from mucilage. The wind and fhowers foon difperfe the 
greateft part of the duft; and at length the ftalk appears with 
a naked, coriaceous, campanulated pileus, and confiderably 
bleached, in colour and appearance not unlike a dry ftalk of 
hemp. In this ftate fome of them are now to be found (Aug, 
28, 1783) with plants of this year rifing near them. 
Mr. Humpureys, of Norwich, who firft found this very 
extraordinary plant, met with it only in the ftate laft de- 
{cribed, and without difcovering the volva; fo that no judge- 
ment of it could be formed. It has been taken by fome per- 
fons for a decayed or abortive agaric; but that opinion could 
not be maintained by any one who had feen it in its recent 
{tate. 
I firft met with it in February or March 1783 in its dry 
and withered ftate; but as it was fufpected, though with little 
appearance of reafon, to be a decayed Agaricus procerus, I 
wifhed to examine the root carefully, in order to obferve whe- 
ther it was bulbous. The bulb of the Agaricus procerus is 
{carcely hidden under the furface, and I was much {furprifed — 
at the depth to which I was obliged to fearch for the root of 
thisi 
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