Among the Mushrooms | Page 7

by the use of a microscope. We have not attempted in this elementary work to do more than mention them.
[Illustration: Amanita vaginata (breaking from volva). Photographed by C. G. Lloyd.]
THE VOLVA AND VEIL.
The universal veil or volva is a thin covering which encloses the entire young plant. The cap grows and expands and bursts this veil into fragments. That part of the veil which breaks away from the cap, called the secondary veil, forms the annulus or ring. It resembles a collar, and is generally fastened to the stem. It is not always permanent or fixed in one place. It may disappear when the plant is mature. It is often fragile, loose and torn, and sometimes is movable on the stem.
The name volva is particularly given to that part of the universal veil which remains around the base of the stem, either sheathing it or appressed closely to it, or in torn fragments. The volva and ring, or annulus, are not always present in mushrooms. The rupture of the veil often causes a part of it to remain on the cap in the shape of warts or scales. These may disappear as the plant grows older, and are sometimes washed off by a heavy rain.
THE TUBES OR PORES.
There is a group of fungi called Polyporei, which have tubes or pores instead of gills. They are placed under the pileus just as the gills are situated, and contain the spores. The length of the tubes varies. The mouths or openings are also of different shapes and sizes. They are sometimes round, and at other times irregular. The color of the mouths is often different from the tubes, and changes when mature. The mouths, too, are sometimes stuffed when young. The attachment to the pileus is to be noted. They may be free or easily detached, depressed around the stem or fastened to it (adnate.)

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI.
The color of both gills and tubes is an important feature in the classification of fungi.
We have now arrived at a point where the amateur may become wearied at the reading of long names and the enumeration of classes and genera. Stevenson has said in his preface to his work on British Fungi that "there is no royal road to the knowledge of fungi," and if we become enough interested to pursue the subject we will probably discover it at this point. We will try and make this part as simple as possible, and only mention those genera which are most common.
Mushrooms may be divided into three great classes:
I. Gasteromycetes, or "Stomach fungi," where the spores are produced within the plant.
II. Ascomycetes, or "Spore sac fungi," where the spores are produced in delicate sacs called asci.
III. Hymenomycetes, or "Membrane fungi," where the spores are produced on the lower surface of the cap.
CLASS III. HYMENOMYCETES, OR MEMBRANE FUNGI.
This class is divided into six orders:
1. Gill-bearing mushrooms, Agarics, or Agaricini.
2. Fungi with pores or tubes, Polyporei.
3. Fungi with awl-shaped teeth or spines, Hydnei.
4. Fungi with an even spore-bearing or slightly wrinkled surface, Thelephorei.
5. Plants, club-shaped and simple, or bush-like and branched, Clavariei.
6. Gelatinous plants, irregularly expanded, Tremellinei.
The first order, the Agarics, contains most of the well-known mushrooms, as well as most of the edible ones. They have been divided into different classes according to the color of the spores. In a great many cases the color is the same as that of the gills; but this is not always the case, especially in the young plants. The Agarics are divided into four sections:
1. White spores, Leucospor?.
2. Rosy, salmon or pinkish spores, Rhodospor?.
3. Brown or ochraceous spores, Ochrospor?.
4. Dark purplish or black spores, Melanospor?.
There are an infinite number of mushrooms we shall not mention. The study of fungi has only begun in this country, and there is an immense vista for future students. The amateur or beginner may be well satisfied if after one summer spent in studying mushrooms he can remember the distinguishing types of the various genera, and can say with certainty, "This is a Russula, or this a Cortinarius, or this a Tricholoma." He will then feel he has taken one important step in this "royal road."
DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF GENERA OF HYMENOMYCETES.
ORDER 1. AGARICS.
The names of the genera are all derived from Greek and Latin words. Stevenson, in his book on British Fungi, has given the original words and also their meanings. We take the liberty of copying the English term only, and will place it beside the name of each genus.
SECTION 1. WHITE SPORES, OR LEUCOSPOR?.
The first genus we will mention is:
+HYGROPHORUS, from a word meaning moist.+
This genus contains plants growing on the ground. They soon decay. The cap is sticky or watery, the gills often branched. It has a peculiarity in the fact that the hymenial cells, or the layer of mother cells, contained