The Fungi of Blacksburg, Virginia 



327 



Russula spp. One milk-white all over, cespitose. Another large, with yellow 



cap, milk-white stem, and almost white gills. 

 Stropharia semiglobata. 



Vaginata farinosa. Once in oak woods and twice on Brush Mountain. 



Vaginata parcivolvata. Six or more plants growing near together and bring- 

 ing up scraps of dirt that resembled volval patches. 



Vaginata plumbea. Common in half a dozen varieties, including a large white 

 one, but the fulvous form was most abundant. This last was especially 

 liked by the box tortoise, which was found several times in different parts 

 of oak groves feeding upon it. I was walking early one morning in Broce's 

 white oak grove when I came upon two plants of this variety growing 

 together and a tortoise beside them, which had devoured half of each plant. 

 When I returned thirty minutes later, he had finished them, stems and all, 

 down to the ground, leaving only a few chips that fell from his mouth while 

 eating. He evidently preferred this species, because many specimens were 

 found, either partly or entirely devoured in this manner peculiar to tortoises. 

 Squirrels take the plants up and carry them to a stump, log, or tree. I was 

 able to confirm my observations as to tortoises by watching two or three 

 more at breakfast later in the week. When practically all the specimens of 

 Vaginata plumbea in the woods were gone, Russula virescens seemed to be 

 the next choice. 



Venenarius Caesareus. Rare. 



Venenarius cothurnatus. Three pure-white plants were first found growing 

 gregariously under a white oak in Broce's Woods. Flies sucked their juice 

 while drying and promptly fell over, apparently lifeless. In order to de- 

 termine if they were really dead, I kept them covered for twenty-four 

 hours, — and still have them with the specimens. The deadly character of 

 this species was demonstrated later by using a " button " found in Preston's 

 Woods, where I first saw the plant growing in abundance several years ago. 

 A few days later, two good, typical plants were collected in the same 

 woods and preserved. All of the specimens found about Blacksburg are 

 white, showing no tendency to vary to darker forms. 



Venenarius flavorubescens. Specimens closely resembling this species were 

 found under white oak trees but it seemed difficult to distinguish them 

 satisfactorily from V. Frostianus. 



Venenarius Frostianus. Abundant. 



Venenarius phalloides. Large and small white forms fairly abundant, ordinary 

 dark form rare ; also a whitish form with smoky center, and a large, shin- 

 ing, dark-lead-colored form, — the darkest I ever saw. 



Venenarius rubens. Very abundant and of immense size, 20 cm. or more in 

 diameter. 



Venenarius solitarius. On the ground in woods. Base large and rounded, 

 not radicate; surface white to grayish or reddish, covered with large warts; 

 chlorine odor very decided. Also found the usual form on clay banks. 



Venenarius spp. Two species were found that' were not recognized, an avel- 

 laneous one in Preston's Woods and a pure-white one in exposed sandy 

 soil on Brush Mountain. The latter resembled V. cothurnatus but bad no 

 boot and did not kill flies. 



