They are very viscid, as
the plants in Figure 167 will show. The caps are thick and the margin
inrolled. They are found in October and November.

_Hygrophorus speciosus. Pk._

SHOWY HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 168.--Hygrophorus speciosus.]

Speciosus means beautiful, showy; so called from the scarlet color of
the umbo. The pileus is one to two inches in diameter, broadly convex,
often with small central umbo; glabrous, very viscid or glutinous when
moist; yellow, usually bright red or scarlet in the center; flesh white,
yellow under the thin, separable pellicle.

The gills are distant, decurrent, white, or slightly tinged with yellow.

The stem is two to four inches long, nearly equal, solid, viscid,
slightly fibrillose, whitish or yellowish. The spores are elliptic,
.0003 of an inch long, .0002 broad. _Peck._

This is a very beautiful and showy plant. It grows in swampy places and
under tamarack trees. The specimens in Figure 168 were found in
Massachusetts by Mrs. Blackford, and were photographed by Dr. Kellerman.
It is found in September and August.

_Hygrophorus fuligineus. Frost._

SOOTY HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 169.--Hygrophorus fuligineus. Natural size.
Specimen on the right is H. caprinus.]

Fuligineus means sooty or smoky.

The pileus is one to four inches broad, convex or nearly plane,
glabrous, very viscid or glutinous, grayish-brown or fuliginous, the
disk often darker or almost black.

The gills are subdistant, adnate or decurrent, white.

The stem is two to four inches long, solid, viscid or glutinous, white
or whitish. The spores are elliptic, .0003 to .00035 of an inch long,
.0002 broad. _Peck_, No. 4, Vol. 3.

This species is found frequently associated with H. flavodiscus, which
it resembles very closely, save in color. When moist, the cap and stems
are covered with a thick coating of gluten, and when the caps are dry
this gives them a varnished appearance. I do not find them abundant
here. The plants in Figure 169 were found by Mrs. Blackford near West
Gloucester, Mass. They are found October and November.

_Hygrophorus caprinus. Scop._

THE GOAT HYGROPHORUS. EDIBLE.

Caprinus means belonging to a goat; it is so called from the fibrils
resembling goat's hair.

The pileus is two to three inches broad, fleshy, fragile, conical, then
flattened and umbonate, rather wavy, sooty, fibrillose.

The gills are very broad, quite distant, deeply d