the outer part of the volva,
and as the pileus expands more, and the cessation of growth of the outer
veil proceeds inward, the scales become more widely separated at the
apex and broader at the base. In some cases the volva is probably
thinner than in others, and with the rapid expansion of the pileus in
wet weather the scales would be smaller, or more floccose. But with
different conditions, when it is not so wet, the plant expands less
rapidly, the surface of the pileus becomes drier, the volva layer does
not separate so readily and the fissures between the scales proceed
deeper, and sometimes probably enter the surface of the pileus, so that
the size of the warts is augmented. A similar state of things sometimes
takes place on the base of the stem at the upper margin of the bulb,
where the concentric fissures may extend to some distance in the stem,
making the scales here more prominent in some specimens than in others.
A similar variation in the character of the scales on the bulb of
_Amanita muscaria_ is sometimes presented.

The veil is often loosely attached to the edges of the gills, and so is
stripped off from the stem quite early. Sometimes it is more strongly
adherent to the stem, or portions of it may be, when it is very
irregularly ruptured as it is peeled off from the stem, as shown in the
plant near the left side in Fig. 75. The veil is very fragile and often
tears a little distance from the margin of the cap, while the portion
attached to the stem forms the annulus. This condition is shown in the
case of three plants in Fig. 75. The plant is said to be edible.

AMANITOPSIS Roze.

This genus has white spores, and a volva, but the annulus and inner veil
are wanting. In other respects it agrees with _Amanita_. It is
considered as a sub-genus of _Amanita_ by some.

[Illustration: PLATE 22, FIGURE 76.--Amanita solitaria. Three plants,
3/4 natural size. Copyright.]

=Amanitopsis vaginata= (Bull.) Roz. =Edible.=--The sheathed amanitopsis,
_A. vaginata_, is a quite common and widely distributed plant in woods.
It is well named since the prominent volva forms a large sheath to the
cylindrical base of the stem. The plant occurs in several forms, a gray
or mouse colored form, and a brownish or fulvous form, and sometimes
nearly white. These forms are recognized by some as varieties, and by
others as species. The plants are 8--15 cm. high, the caps 3--7 cm.
broad, and the stems 5--8 mm. in thickness.

[Ill