species is found in the woods, on beech logs. It is small and thin,
not much more than an inch in width but sometimes elongated. Steep and
gibbous behind, becoming at length smooth and equal. It is not abundant
in our woods, but I have found it often. August and September.

_Polyporus caesius. Schrad._

The pileus is white, with a bluish tinge occasionally upon its surface,
soft, tenacious, unequal, silky.

The pores are small, unequal, long, flexuous, dentate, lacerate.

It is found in woods on partially decayed sticks. I have only
occasionally found a specimen in our woods.

_Polyporus pubescens. Schw._

[Illustration: Figure 339.--Polyporus pubescens. White without and
within, pubescent and shiny.]

Pubescens means downy; so called from the satiny finish of its pileus,
which is fleshy, quite tough and corky, soft, convex, subzonate,
pubescent and shiny; white without and within; the margin acute,
becoming at length yellowish and hard, with a shiny lustre.

The pores are short, minute, nearly round and plane.

The pileus is from one to two inches in width, laterally confluent and
usually very much imbricated. Quite plentiful in woods on beech logs.
July to November.

_Polyporus volvatus. Pk._

[Illustration: Figure 340.--Polyporus volvatus. Natural size.]

Volvatus, bearing a volva. This is a most interesting species. The
pileus seems to be prolonged, making a volva-like protection of the
spore surface. When this volva is ruptured small heaps of spores will
often be seen on the volva, having been protected from the wind.

The plant is small, somewhat round, and before the volva is ruptured it
is very like a puffball; fleshy, smooth, attached by a small point,
whitish, slightly tinged with yellow, red or reddish-brown; the cuticle
of the pileus enveloping the entire pore-surface, thick and firm. The
pores are rather long, small, the mouths yellowish, with a tinge of
brown. The spores are elliptical and flesh-colored, .0003 to .00035 inch
long and about .0002 broad.

This plant has a wide distribution, being found in the New England and
Eastern States, and the States of the Pacific slope. I presume it will
be found wherever the spruce tree is a native.

The specimens in Figure 340 were found near Boston and were sent me
about the first of May by Mrs. Blackford. The first package I took,
before examining them, to be a new puffball, which they seemed to
resemble in their undeveloped state.

_Po