on: FIGURE 36.--Coprinus comatus, early stages of
deliquescence; the ring is lying on the sod (natural size).]

There is one curious feature about the expansion of the pileus of the
shaggy-mane which could not escape our attention. The pileus has become
very long while comparatively little lateral expansion has taken place.
The pileus has remained cylindrical or barrel-shaped, while in the case
of the common mushroom the pileus expands into the form of an umbrella.

[Illustration: FIGURE 37.--Coprinus comatus, later stage of
deliquescence, pileus becoming more expanded (natural size).]

The cylindrical or barrel-shaped pileus is characteristic of the
shaggy-mane mushroom. As the pileus elongates the stem does also, but
more rapidly. This tears apart the connection of the margin of the
pileus with the base of the stem, as is plainly shown in Fig. 33. In
breaking away, the connecting portion or veil is freed both from the
stem and from the margin of the pileus, and is left as a free, or loose,
ring around the stem. In the shaggy-mane the veil does not form a thin,
expanded curtain. It is really an annular outer layer of the button
lying between the margin of the cap and the base of the stem. It becomes
free from the stem. As the stem elongates more rapidly than the cap, the
latter is lifted up away from the base of the stem. Sometimes the free
ring is left as a collar around the base of the stem, still loosely
adherent to the superficial layer of the same, or it remains for a time
more or less adherent to the margin of the pileus as shown in the plant
at the left hand in Fig. 33. It is often lifted higher up on the stem
before it becomes free from the cap, and is then left dangling somewhere
on the stem, or it may break and fall down on the sod. In other
instances it may remain quite firmly adherent to the margin of the
pileus so that it breaks apart as the pileus in age expands somewhat. In
such cases one often searches for some time to discover it clinging as a
sterile margin of the cap. It is interesting to observe a section of the
plants at this stage. These sections can be made by splitting the pileus
and stem lengthwise through the middle line with a sharp knife, as shown
in Fig. 35. Here, in the plant at the right hand, the "cord" of mycelium
is plainly seen running through the hollow stem. The gills form a large
portion of the plant, for they are very broad and lie closely packed
side by side. They are nowhere at