144 
CRYPTOGAMIA. FUNGI. Merulius. 
sized specimens; that the gills are few, white, very distant from one 
another; the pileus white, and so thin that the gills seem to pass through 
it ; the stems solid, smooth, rather shining, dark coloured. Vaill. par. p. 
69. 
Gills somewhat decurrent, white, few, mostly in pairs. 
Pileus brownish white, flat, the edge turned down, the centre depressed; 
very thin and semi-transparent, nearly half an inch diameter. 
Stem solid, white at the top, shining and purplish brown below, almost 
black at the base; about three inches high, not thicker than a large pin. 
(Membranaceous or Black-stalked Merulius. E.) Ag. androsaceus . 
Linn. Ag. epiphyllas Bull. 
Packington Park, amongst moss. Autumn. 
M. collaria'tus. Gills white, uniform, fixed to a collar surrounding 
the stem: pileus white, skinny, dimpled: stem white above, 
black below. 
(, Sowerby 95— FI. Dan. 1134.1. E.)— Bull. 64— Bolt. 32— Sclioejf. 239— 
Mich. 74. 5. 
Gills loose from the stem, but fixed to a band or collar surrounding the 
top of the stem, biit at some distance from it; white, yellowish brown 
with age, uniform, from seventeen to twenty. 
Pileus white, convex, dimpled, ribbed at the sides, thin, skinny, one-eighth 
to three-eighths of an inch over. 
Stem hollow, scored, white above, dark mouse or almost black below, one to 
three inches long, not thicker than a pin. 
It does not appear by Mr. Bolton’s figure or description whether the gills 
are fixed to a collar, or to the stem, but be that as it may, ours is cer¬ 
tainly the plant of M. Bulliard, quoted above, though he says the stem is 
solid, and calls it the Ag. androsaceus of Linnaeus; but that is a very 
different plant, and had he given a dissected drawing, he would not have 
found the stem solid. The gills are carelessly represented both by 
Schaeffer and Bolton, and in the latter the dimple in the centre of the 
pileus is not expressed. The plant at first is entirely white, but it dries, 
remains a long time, and gradually changes its colour to a yellow 
brown, the stem becoming quite black. 
(Collared Merulius. E.) Ag. collariatus. With. Ed. 2. Ag. androsa¬ 
ceus of Schaeffer, Hudson, Lightfoot, Relhan, Bolton, &c. but not of 
Linnaeus, Scopoli, or Haller. Ray Syn. 9. 49. Growing upon dry sticks 
in hedge bottoms; not uncommon. August. 
M. buccina'lis. Gills white, decurrent; pileus white, funnel-shaped: 
stem white, very short. 
( Sowerby 107. E.)— Batsck. 214. 
Gills decurrent, white, few, four in a set, but irregular; larger ones about 
twelve. Pileus white, thin, leather-like, ivaved and cracking at the edge, 
hollow in the centre, scarcely half an inch diameter. Stem solid, white, 
crooked, one quarter of an inch high, thick as a large pin, but gradually 
thicker upwards until it is insensibly lost in the pileus. 
(Trumpet Merulius. E.) Ag. buccinalis. Batsch. In the garden and 
amongst grass, at Packington, Warwickshire, the seat of the Earl 
of Aylesford. 
M. fus'cus. Gills few, light brown: pileus light brown, centre de¬ 
pressed : stem light brown, stiff. 
Gills fixed, light brown, few, in pairs. 
