WITH A CATALOGUE OF THE SPECIES.
251
of the North are reported to get drunk upon it for a whole week,
but there is no accounting for taste; some people would get drunk
on anything, for the fun of the thing. But it is another species we
desired to notice, which was found some few years ago near the
Church at High Beach, and has been seen nowhere in Britain since,
or, at least, not by anyone who recognized it. This is a wholly white
species, a shining, snowy white, and about the same size as A. mus-
carius. It is called Agaricus vernus, probably because it was first
found in the spring, but it was not in the spring that it appeared at
High Beach. It also is reputed to be poisonous, and certainly is
rare, although it had been found in Britain, somewhere, before it
occurred in the Forest, since it is named in Berkeley's "Outlines."
It seems rather strange that another fine species, Ag. strobiliformis,
which has been collected in Norfolk, Herefordshire, and elsewhere,
has not put in an appearance.
The "Parasol Mushroom" (A. (Lepiota) procerus), which honours
the Forest, is the type of the next subgenus Lepiota, not so well
represented by any means, since out of 34 species we only know
of seven, and one or two of them quite common. The rarest is
A. (Lep:) excoriatus, which does not excoriate the lips, and is indeed
very good eating. There are two or three others which we still hope
to find, some day.
Of the next subgenus, Armillaria, two of the three species are
very common.
The subgenus Tricholoma is very large, containing about 70
British species and several varieties. The only one which was
added to the British list, as having been found in the Forest for the
first time, is Agaricus variegatus, sent to me by the late Mr. English
as a curious form of Ag. rutilans. It had never before been found
in this country, nor apparently since.
Another subgenus, almost as numerous, is Clitocybe, most of them
being funnel-shaped. Three rare species have been found once
only, Ag. elixus, Ag. catinus, and Ag. bellus; whilst another,
Ag. ericetorum, was found rather plentifully one year, the first time
in Britain, and nowhere since. It was amongst the heather just
before reaching Monk's Wood from Loughton (Cowper's) Camp.
Collybia, the next subgenus, contains but one species calling for
observation, whilst there are several which really ought to be found
in the Forest. The one which we allude to was an entirely new
and curious species, which we named Ag. psathyroides, and, as far
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