blackish.

The pileus is two to four inches broad, dark grayish-brown, black with
advancing age, fleshy, compact, flesh turning red when bruised or
convex, flattened, then depressed, at length funnel-shaped, margin
entire, without striate, margin at first incurved, young specimens are
slightly viscid when moist, even, without a separable pellicle; whitish
at first, soon sooty olive, at length becoming broken up into scales and
black; flesh firm and white, becoming reddish when broken.

The gills are rounded behind, slightly adnexed, thick, distant, broad,
unequal, the shorter ones sometimes very scanty, forked, reddening when
touched.

The stem is rather short, thick, solid, equal, pallid when young, then
black. The spores are subglobose, rough, 8-9u.

The plant is quite compact, inodorous, becoming entirely black with age.
It is easily distinguished from R. adusta by the flesh becoming reddish
when bruised, and by the much thicker, and more distant gills. It is
very close to R. densifolia but differs from it in that its gills are
more distant and because of its mild taste.

I am pleased to present to my readers, in Figure 146, a photograph of a
plant which grew in Sweden in the locality where Prof. Fries did his
great work in fungal study and research. It is a typical specimen of
this species. It was gathered and photographed by Mr. C. G. Lloyd.

It is found from June to October. Not poisonous, but not good.

_Russula foetens. Fr._

THE FETID RUSSULA. NOT EDIBLE.

[Illustration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Figure 147.--Russula foetens.]

Foetens means stinking.

The pileus is four to six inches broad, dirty white or yellowish; flesh
thin; at first hemispherical, then expanded, almost plane, often
depressed in the center; covered with a pellicle which is adnate; viscid
in wet weather; widely striate-tuberculate on the margin, which is at
first incurved.

The gills are adnexed, connected by veins, crowded, irregular, many
forked, rather broad, whitish, becoming dingy when bruised, exuding
watery drops at first.

The stem is stout, stuffed, then hollow, concolor, two to four inches
long. The spores are small, echinulate, almost round.

I have found the plants very generally diffused over the state. It is
very coarse and uninviting. Its smell and taste are bad. Found from July
to October. These plants are widely distributed and usually rather
abundant.

_Russula alutacea. Fr._

THE TAN-COLORED RUSS