while the upper portion is spoken of as the inner
layer or part. It is closely related to _A. arvensis_, and may represent
a wood inhabiting variety of that species.

=Agaricus (Psalliota) comtulus= Fr.--This pretty little agaric seems to
be rather rare. It was found sparingly on several occasions in open
woods under pines at Ithaca, N. Y., during October, 1898. Lloyd reports
it from Ohio (Mycolog. Notes, No. 56, Nov. 1899), and Smith from Vermont
(Rhodora I, 1899). Fries' description (Epicrisis, No. 877) runs as
follows: "Pileus slightly fleshy, convex, plane, obtuse, nearly smooth,
with appressed silky hairs, stem hollow, sub-attenuate, smooth, white to
yellowish, annulus fugacious; gills free, crowded, broad in front, from
flesh to rose color. In damp grassy places. Stem 2 inches by 2 lines, at
first floccose stuffed. Pileus 1--1-1/2 inch diameter. Color from white
to yellowish."

[Illustration: FIGURE 24.--Agaricus comtulus (natural size, sometimes
larger). Cap creamy white with egg-yellow stains, smoky when older. Stem
same color; gills grayish, then rose, then purple brown. Copyright.]

The plants collected at Ithaca are illustrated in Fig. 24 from a
photograph of plants (No. 2879 C. U. herbarium). My notes on these
specimens run as follows: Plant 3--6 cm. high, pileus 1.5--3 cm. broad,
stem 3--4 mm. in thickness. =Pileus= convex to expanded, fleshy, thin on
the margin, margin at first incurved, creamy white with egg yellow
stains, darker on the center, in age somewhat darker to umber or
fuliginous, moist when fresh, surface soon dry, flesh tinged with
yellow. The =gills= are white when young, then grayish to pale rose, and
finally light purple brown, rounded in front, tapering behind (next the
stem) and rounded, free from the stem, 4--5 mm. broad. =Basidia=
clavate, 25--30 x 5--6 mu. =Spores= small, oval, 3--4 x 2--3 mu, in mass
light purple brown. The =stem= tapers above, is sub-bulbous below,
yellowish and stained with darker yellowish threads below the annulus,
hollow, fibrous, fleshy. The =veil= whitish stained with yellow,
delicate, rupturing irregularly, portions of it clinging to margin of
the pileus and portions forming a delicate ring. When parts of the plant
come in contact with white paper a blue stain is apt to be imparted to
the paper, resembling the reaction of iodine on starch. This peculiarity
has been observed also in the case of another species of _Agaricus_. The
species is regarded with sus