The last two sections have been joined together into the single genus _Hygrocybe_ and all the members seem to be saprophytic or intimately associated with grassland communities. The first section _Limacium_ now makes up the genus _Hygrophorus_ and its members are thought to be mycorrhizal with trees, e.g. _H. hypothejus_ (Fries) Fries with pine, the ‘Herald of the winter’ because it occurs at the end of the fungus season and _H. chrysaspis_ Métrod, a whitish, sickly-smelling fungus under beech. Results from examining the anatomy of the gills appears to confirm these divisions. All the Hygrophori have a homogeneous flesh, white spores, central, fleshy stem and thick, waxy gills; microscopically this group of fungi can be recognised by the very long basidia. The following are common examples of the genus Hygrocybe:-- ~H. calyptraeformis~ (Berkeley & Broome) Fayod has a rose-pink, conical cap which expands to become upturned at the edge with age. ~H. coccinea~ (Fries) Kummer has a bright scarlet cap which becomes yellow-ochre on drying and a yellow base to a scarlet stem. ~H. conica~ (Fries) Kummer has an orange to red stem and sharply conical cap which turns blackish with age and whose gills when cut exude a clear watery liquid. ~H. flavescens~ (Kauffman) Singer has a slimy, golden yellow cap and similarly coloured stem. ~H. chlorophana~ is similar, but has a lemon-yellow cap and stem. ~H. punicea~ (Fries) Kummer is a large and robust species, similar in colour to _H. coccinea_ but with a white base to the stem. ~H. unguinosa~ (Fries) Karsten has a smoky grey, very slimy cap and stem. ~H. nitrata~ (Persoon) Wunsche is as dull coloured as _H. unguinosa_, but is not slimy, and in addition strongly smells of cleaning fluid or bleaching-powder. It is one of three dull coloured, strong bleaching-powder-smelling species found in Britain. _H. ovina_ is another, but is darker than _H. nitrata_ and becomes red when bruised or cut. [Illustration: Plate 27. Fleshy brightly coloured fungi: Spores white and borne on thick, waxy gills] ~H. metapodia~ (Fries) Moser has a sooty brown fibrillose-streaky cap and stem. The gills are distant and grey, and the fruit-body may reach up to 100 mm across. It is probably the biggest of our native species of _Hygrocybe_. For completion examples of _Hygrophorus_ include: ~H. bresadolae~ Quélet has a slimy orange-yellow cap, yellow gills and yellow, slimy, smooth stem. It is found under larch trees. ~H. chrysaspis~ Métrod has ivory white cap, stem and gills which soon become flushed with rust-brown and finally the whole fruit-body becomes red-brown. The stem is slimy and white dotted at the apex. It grows in beech woods. ~H. hedrychii~ Velenovsky has a slimy cream-coloured cap flushed with pale peach colour. The gills and stem are cream and the latter slimy and dotted at the top. It is found in pine woods.