8. Examine the stipe of the fruit-body used above under a low power or with a dissecting microscope in order to ascertain whether there are any remains of veil and/or vegetative mycelium. If found, mount immediately in the solution containing iodine mentioned above and examine. Of course it is difficult to carry out the above system the first time and be successful in seeing everything, indeed in being able to cut all the sections 1-8. Practice makes perfect, so why not practise with a ¼ lb of mushrooms from the grocer before the autumn season starts. In this way you will have overcome the difficulties without having to experiment with your collections. CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF HIGHER FUNGI WITH CAPS Locality G. Ref. Date Habitat notes soil type pH vegetational community solitary; in troops or rings Draw or preferably paint exterior and vertical section of fruit-body MACROSCOPIC CHARACTERS CAP General characters: diameter shape consistency colour: when immature when mature when wet when dry Surface dry, moist, greasy, viscid, glutinous, peeling easily or not, smooth, matt, polished, irregularly roughened, downy, velvety, scaly, shaggy Margin regular, wavy incurved or not smooth, rough, furrowed striate or not Veil, if present colour abundance or scarcity distribution at margin, whether appendiculate or dentate consistency, whether filamentous, membranous GILLS, or pores or teeth etc. remote, free, adnate, adnexed, emarginate, subdecurrent, decurrent crowded or distant distinctly formed or not shape interveined or not easily separable from the cap-tissue or not consistency (whether brittle, pliable, fleshy or waxy) thickness width colour: when immature at maturity number of different lengths or number of layers obvious features of gill-edge, tube-edge, e.g. colour, consistency STEM central, eccentric or lacking shape dimensions: length thickness hollow or not colour: when immature when mature consistency (whether fleshy, stringy, cartilaginous, leathery or woody) surface characters (whether fibrillose, dry, viscid, scaly or smooth) characters of stem-base Veil, if present characters Volva, if present characters Ring, if present whether single or double whether membranous or filamentous whether persistent, fugacious or mobile whether thick or thin whether apical, median or basal FLESH