,,the ,,esculent ,,funguses ,,of ,,england4 ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,the ,,esculent ,,funguses ,,of ,,england1 ,,containing ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,their ,,classical ,,history1 ,,uses1 ,,characters1 ,,development1 ,,structure1 ,,nutritious ,,properties1 ,,modes ,,of ,,cooking ,,and ,,preserving1 ,,etc4 ,,by ,,charles ,,david ,,badham1 ,m4,d4 ,,edited ,,by ,,frederick ,,currey1 ,m4,a41 ,f4,r4,s41 ,f4,l4,s4 4--,,homer4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,,lovell ,,reeve ,,co41 ,,henrietta ,,street1 ,,covent ,,garden4 #ahfc4 ,,printed ,,by ,,john ,,edward ,,taylor1 ,,little ,,queen ,,street1 ,,lincoln',s ,,inn ,,fields4 ,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,second ,,edition4 ,my lamented friend ,dr4 ,badham having died since the first publication of this work1 my advice was asked upon the subject of the preparation of a new edition4 ,it was wished that the text of the work should be altered as little as possible1 and that the price of the book should be materially lessened4 ,the latter object could not be effected without reducing the number of the ,plates2 but it appeared to me that some plates relating to details of structure might very well be omitted1 as well as the figures of a few ,italian species which1 although interesting in themselves1 are quite unnecessary in a book on ,british ,esculent ,fungi4 ,with the exception of the omission of the description of these latter species1 and the addition of the description of two other species hereafter referred to1 the alterations in the text are too trifling to require notice4 ,with regard to the ,figures in this edition1 most of them are those of the former plates1 somewhat reduced2 a few have been taken from the plates of ,mr4 ,berkeley's #8,outlines of ,british ,fungology1' and a few from original and other sources4 ,by a re-arrangement of the whole1 the reduction in the number of the ,plates has been effected1 and1 at the same time1 figures of all the ,fungi represented in the first edition have been given1 as well as of two other species not there noticed4 ,i should observe1 however1 that by a mistake of the artist an extra figure of the ,horse ,mushroom has been inserted in ,plate ,,iv4 instead of one of the ,common ,mushroom4 ,the two species above alluded to which were not figured in the first edition1 are ,tuber stivum and ,helvella esculenta4 ,the former must have been inadvertently omitted by ,dr4 ,badham1 as it has long been known as abundant in certain parts of ,england4 ,helvella esculenta1 although alluded to by ,dr4 ,badham1 was not at that time known to be a ,british species4 ,it has since been observed near ,weybridge in ,surrey1 where it occurs almost every spring4 ,the plant figured in ,pl4 ,,xv4 fig4 #f of the first edition under the name of ,lycoperdon plumbeum1 is not that species1 but ,lycoperdon pyriforme2 it will be found at ,pl4 ,,viii4 fig4 #e4 ,dr4 ,badham states that all puff-balls are esculent1 but1 judging from the smell of ,lycoperdon pyriforme1 ,i should much doubt whether it would make an agreeable dish4 ,lycoperdon plumbeum is now better known as ,bovista plumbea1 and ,lycoperdon ,bovista as ,lycoperdon giganteum4 ,there is some confusion about the synonymy of the plants described by ,dr4 ,badham as ,agaricus prunulus and ,ag4 exquisitus4 ,it is unnecessary to discuss the matter here1 and ,i have thought it not desirable under the circumstances to alter ,dr4 ,badham's nomenclature4 ,they appear to be described in ,mr4 ,berkeley's work as ,ag4 gambosus1 ,fr41 and ,ag4 arvensis1 ,schff4 ,dr4 ,badham's observations on the spores of ,fungi must be read in connection with the note added by him at the conclusion of the work2 and to those who are interested in that part of the subject ,i should recommend the perusal of the seventh chapter of ,mr4 ,berkeley's #8,outlines of ,british ,fungology1' and ,tulasne's recent work1 #8,selecta ,fungorum ,carpologia4' ,mr4 ,cooke1 in his #8,plain and ,easy ,account of ,british ,fungi1' recently published1 mentions some species as esculent which are not noticed in this work4 ,i have however no experience of their qualities1 and must refer the reader to ,mr4 ,cooke's book for further information4 ,he mentions ,mr4 ,berkeley as an authority for considering ,agaricus rubescens as suspicious2 but1 from long experience1 ,i can vouch for its being not only wholesome1 but1 as ,dr4 ,badham says1 8a very delicate fungus40 ,f4 ,c4 ,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,first ,,edition4 ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,reverend ,,the ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,norwich4 ,,my ,,lord1 ,i had two reasons for desiring that this humble performance should appear under the sanction of your ,lordship's name4 ,nothing could be more favourable to a ,treatise on any department of ,natural ,history1 than the approval of one who has been so eminently successful in his cultivation of the same field4 ,but it is with much greater confidence that ,i dedicate a work1 whose chief object it is to furnish the labouring classes with wholesome nourishment and profitable occupation1 to a high functionary of that kingdom1 which is distinguished from all others by recognizing the claims and furthering the interests of the poor4 ,i have the honour to be1 my ,lord1 ,with great respect1 your ,lordship's ,obliged and humble ,servant1 ,c4 ,d4 ,,badham4 ,,contents4 ,page ,,etymologies #a ,,the ,,range ,,of ,,fungus ,,growths #g ,,of ,,their ,,general ,,forms1 ,,colours1 ,,and ,,texture #aj ,,odours ,,and ,,tastes #ac ,,expansive ,,power ,,of ,,growth #ad ,,reproductive ,,power #af ,,motion #af ,,phosphorescence #ah ,,dimensions #ah ,,chemical ,,composition #bj ,,uses #ba ,,medical ,,uses #be ,,funguses ,,considered ,,as ,,an ,,article ,,of ,,diet #bg ,,modes ,,of ,,distinguishing #dj ,,conditions ,,necessary ,,to ,,their ,,production #dg ,,fairy ,,rings #eb ,,on ,,the ,,growth ,,of ,,funguses #ec ,,on ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,spores1 ,,or ,,quasi-,,seeds#a #eh ,,of ,,the ,,annulus1 ,,the ,,velum1 ,,and ,,the ,,volva #ff ,,of ,,the ,,stalk1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,pileus #fh ,,of ,,the ,,gills1 ,,tubes1 ,,plaits1 ,,and ,,spines #fi ,,methodical ,,distribution ,,of ,,british ,,esculent ,,funguses #gb ,,description ,,of ,,species3-- ,agaricus acris minor #abj ,agaricus alutaceus #aag ,agaricus atramentarius #aaa ,agaricus campestris #id ,agaricus castaneus #adc ,agaricus comatus #aab ,agaricus deliciosus #ajb ,agaricus ,dryophilus #ajg ,agaricus emeticus #aah ,agaricus exquisitus #ajj ,agaricus fusipes #ada ,agaricus heterophyllus #aac ,agaricus melleus #aci ,agaricus nebularis #ajh ,agaricus ,orcella #abi ,agaricus oreades #ajf ,agaricus ostreatus #aba ,agaricus personatus #aje ,agaricus piperatus #add ,agaricus procerus #hh ,agaricus prunulus #he ,agaricus ruber #aae ,agaricus rubescens #abc ,agaricus sanguineus #abj ,agaricus semiglobatus #ajh ,agaricus ulmarius #adj ,agaricus vaginatus #adb ,agaricus violaceus #adc ,agaricus virescens #aaf ,agaricus virgineus #ade ,boletus edulis #ij ,boletus luridus #ajd ,boletus scaber #ajc ,cantharellus cibarius #aaj ,clavaria coralloides #ace ,fistulina hepatica #abg ,helvella crispa #acj ,helvella lacunosa #aca ,helvella esculenta #aca ,hydnum repandum #abf ,lycoperdon ,bovista #ach ,lycoperdon plumbeum #acf ,morchella esculenta #abc ,morchella semilibera #abd ,peziza acetabulum #acc ,polyporus frondosus #acc ,tuber stivum #ade ,verpa digitaliformis #acb ,,conclusion #adf ,,description ,,of ,,plates4 ,,plate ,i4 ,fig4 #a4 ,agaricus prunulus4 0 #b4 ,agaricus personatus4 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,agaricus procerus4 ,,plate ,,iii4 ,fig4 #a1 #b4 ,boletus edulis4 0 #c1 #d4 ,agaricus heterophyllus4 ,,plate ,,iv4 ,fig4 #a4 ,polyporus frondosus4 0 #b4 ,agaricus nebularis4 0 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,agaricus exquisitus4 ,,plate ,v4 ,fig4 #a4 ,helvella lacunosa4 0 #b4 ,clavaria amethystina4 0 #c4 ,clavaria coralloides4 0 #d4 ,agaricus deliciosus4 0 #e4 ,clavaria cinerea4 0 #f4 ,clavaria rugosa4 ,,plate ,,vi4 ,fig4 #a1 #b4 ,boletus scaber4 0 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,boletus luridus4 ,,plate ,,vii4 ,fig4 #a1 #b1 #c4 ,agaricus comatus4 0 #d4 ,agaricus oreades4 0 #e4 ,agaricus ,dryophilus4 ,,plate ,,viii4 ,fig4 #a4 ,cantharellus cibarius4 0 #b4 ,tuber stivum4 0 #c1 #d4 ,hydnum repandum4 0 #e4 ,lycoperdon pyriforme4 ,,plate ,,ix4 ,fig4 #a1 #b4 ,agaricus atramentarius4 0 #c4 ,agaricus melleus4 ,,plate ,x4 ,agaricus ostreatus4 ,,plate ,,xi4 ,fig4 #a1 #b4 ,agaricus ,orcella4 0 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,agaricus rubescens4 ,,plate ,,xii4 ,fig4 #a1 #b4 ,fistulina hepatica4 0 #c1 #d1 #e4 ,helvella esculenta4 0 #f4 ,morchella esculenta4 ,,introductory ,,notice4 ,no country is perhaps richer in esculent ,funguses than our own2 we have upwards of thirty species abounding in our woods4 ,no markets might therefore be better supplied than the ,english1 and yet ,england is the only country in ,europe where this important and savoury food is1 from ignorance or prejudice1 left to perish ungathered4 ,in ,france1 ,germany1 and ,italy1 ,funguses not only constitute for weeks together the sole diet of thousands1 but the residue1 either fresh1 dried1 or variously preserved in oil1 vinegar1 or brine1 is sold by the poor1 and forms a valuable source of income to many who have no other produce to bring into the market4 ,well1 then1 may we style them1 with ,m4 ,roques1 8the manna of the poor40 ,to call attention to an article of commerce elsewhere so lucrative1 with us so wholly neglected1 is the object of the present work1 to which the best possible introduction will be a brief reference to the state of the fungus market abroad4 ,the following brief summary was drawn up by ,professor ,sanguinetti1 the ,official ,inspector 78,ispettore dei ,funghi07 at ,rome2 let it speak for itself3--8,for forty days during the autumn1 and for about half that period every spring1 large quantities of ,funguses1 picked in the immediate vicinity of ,rome1 from ,frascati1 ,rocca di ,papa1 ,albano1 beyond ,monte ,mario towards ,ostia and the neighbourhood of the sites of ,veii and ,gabii1 are brought in at the different gates4 ,in the year #ahcg1 the ,government instituted the so-called ,congregazione ,speciale di ,sanit1 which1 among other duties1 was more particularly required to take into serious consideration the commerce of ,funguses1 from the unrestricted sale of which during some years past1 cases of poisoning had not unfrequently occurred4 ,the following decisions were arrived at by this body3-- 8#ast4 ,that for the future an #8,inspector of ,funguses1' versed in botany1 should be appointed to attend the market in place of the peasant1 whose supposed practical knowledge had been hitherto held as sufficient guarantee for the public safety4 8#bnd4 ,that all the ,funguses brought into ,rome by the different gates should be registered1 under the surveillance of the principal officer1 in whose presence also the baskets were to be sealed up1 and the whole for that day's consumption sent under escort to a central dept4 8#crd4 ,that a certain spot should be fixed upon for the ,fungus market1 and that nobody1 under penalty of fine and imprisonment1 should hawk them about the streets4 8#dth4 ,that at seven o'clock ,a4,m4 precisely1 the ,inspector should pay his daily visit and examine the whole1 the contents of the baskets being previously emptied on the ground by the proprietors1 who were then to receive1 if the ,funguses were approved of1 a printed permission of sale from the police1 and to pay for it an impost of one baioccho 7a halfpenny7 on every ten pounds4 8#eth4 ,that quantities under ten pounds should not be taxed4 8#fth4 ,that the stale funguses of the preceding day1 as well as those that were mouldy1 bruised1 filled with maggots1 or dangerous 7muffi1 guasti1 verminosi1 velenosi71 together with any specimen of the common mushroom 7,ag4 campestris7 detected in any of the baskets1 should be sent under escort and thrown into the ,tiber4 8#gth4 ,that the ,inspector should be empowered to fine or imprison all those refractory to the above regulations2 and1 finally1 that he should furnish a weekly report to the ,tribunal of ,provisions 7,il ,tribunale delle ,grascie7 of the proceeds of the sale4 8,as all fresh ,funguses for sale in quantities exceeding ten pounds are weighed1 in order to be taxed1 we are enabled to arrive at an exact estimate of the number of pounds thus disposed of4 ,the return of taxed ,mushrooms in the city of ,rome during the last ten years1 gives a yearly average of between sixty and eighty thousand pounds weight2 and if we double this amount1 as we may safely do1 in order to include such smaller untaxed supplies as are disposed of as bribes1 fees1 and presents1 and reckon the whole at the rate of six baiocchi1 or threepence per pound 7a fair average71 this will make the commercial value of fresh ,funguses very apparent1 showing it here to be little less than #bjjj a year40 ,but the fresh ,funguses form only a small part of the whole consumption1 to which must be added the dried1 the pickled1 and the preserved2 which sell at a much higher price than the first4#b ,supposing1 however1 that with these additions the supply of all kinds only reached a sum the double of that given above1 even this would furnish us with an annual average of nearly four thousand pounds sterling2 and this in a single city1 and that1 too1 by no means the most populous one in ,italy6#c ,what1 then1 must be the net receipts of all the market-places of all the ,italian ,states8 ,for as in these the proportion of the price of esculent ,funguses to butchers' meat is as two to three1 it is plain that prejudice has deprived the poor of this country1 not only of many thousand pounds of the former but also of as much of the latter1 as might have been purchased by exchange1 and of the countless sums which might have been earned in gathering them4#d ,,on ,,the ,,esculent ,,funguses ,,of ,,england4 8,quos ipsa volentia rura ,sponte tulere sua carpsit40--,virgil4 8,he culls from woods1 and heights1 and fields1 ,those untaxed boons which nature yields40 ,,etymologies4 ,by the word 1 or 1 1 whereof the usually received root1 7mucus71 is probably factitious1 the ,greeks used familiarly to designate certain1 but indefinite species of funguses1 which they were in the habit of employing at table4 ,this term1 in its origin at once trivial and restricted to at most a few varieties1 has become in our days classical and generic2 ,mycology1 its direct derivative1 including1 in the language of modern botany1 several great sections of plants 7many amongst the number of microscopic minuteness71 which have apparently as little to do with the original import of as smut1 bunt1 mould1 or dry-rot1 have to do with our table mushrooms4 ,a like indefiniteness formerly characterized the ,latin word fungus1 though it be now used in as catholic a sense as that of 2 this1 in the classic times of ,rome1 seems to have been confined 7without any precise limitation1 however7 to certain sorts which might be eaten1 and to others which it was not safe to eat4 ,the 8,fungos colligit albos10#e which occurs in ,ovid's #8,fasti1' alludes to the former2 the 8,sunt tibi boleti1 fungos ego sumo suillos10 of ,martial1 points to an inferior kind1 but still esculent2 whilst the word not unfrequently designated1 if not actual toadstools1 at least very equivocal mushrooms2 of which character were those 8ancipites fungi0 presented by ,veiento to his poor clients4 ,some melancholy etymologists1 upon whom good mushrooms are really thrown away1 would beget fungus out of funus1 but ,voss#f judiciously rejects so harsh and forced a derivation1 mentioning together with it others that are still more so4 ,the word ,boletus1 which now stands for a large genus of the section ,pileati1 was used in ancient ,rome to designate that particular mushroom which had the honour1 under ,agrippina's orders and ,locusta's cookery1 of poisoning ,claudius2 in memory of which event it is now called ,amanita ,csarea1 the ,csar's mushroom4 ,it occurs frequently both in the poets and prose writers of those days1 and was in high esteem1 as we collect from ,pliny1 who1 though no mushroom-fancier himself1 calls this 8,boletus optimi cibi40 ,nero1 in playful allusion to his uncle's death1 of which it was the occasion1 designates it the #8food of gods1' 2 and ,martial celebrates it in many a convivial epigram2 in one1 for instance1 where he asks his hard-hearted patron1 8what possible pleasure it can be for his guests to sit at his table1 and see him devour boletuses20 in another1 8gold and silver and dresses may be trusted to a messenger1 but not a boletus1 7subaudi7 because he will eat it on the way40 ,this is the only ancient mushroom which we at once recognize by the description of it2 8it originates10 says ,pliny1 8in a volva1 or purse1 in which it lies at first concealed as in an egg2 breaking through this1 it rises upwards on its stalk2 the colour of its cap is red2 it takes a week to pass through the various stages of its growth and declension40 ,the suillus--probably the same as the modern porcino 7a word of analogous import71 which was1 and is1 eaten by men as well as pigs1 and not always by these#g--was1 according to ,pliny1 the fungus which most readily lent itself to poisoning by mistake2 a remark so far consonant to modern experience1 that it is liable1 without some attention1 to be confounded with the ,boletus luridus1 ,b4 cyanescens1 and others1 which in their general shape and external hue resemble it1 though it is not by any means certain that any of these species1 with which it may be confounded1 are themselves poisonous4#h ,the word tuber1 though it occasionally 7as in ,juvenal7 meant the truffle1 seems to have been used with considerable latitude4 ,thus the tubers said to spring up after those optatos imbres1 those 8long-wished-for showers of spring10 were1 probably1 not truffles1 but puff-balls1 which1 at the season of warm rains grow with incredible rapidity1 forming an esteemed article of luxury1 not only in ,italy1 but also in ,india2 whereas the truffle never makes its appearance in the markets at such times1 nor comes up so immediately after rain4 ,tuber1 like our ancient 8fusseball10 seems a common appellation both for truffles and puff-balls4 ,what the ancients understood by hydnum is as little precise or discriminate as the last word2 for ,theophrastus declares it to have a light bark1 1 in which case it is a puff-ball1 while the plant called 1 which is said to indicate the whereabouts of hydna in its neighbourhood1 can only refer to the truffle4 ,the truffle1 however1 which is now so much prized throughout ,europe1 seems not to have been known to the ancients1 at least it is not described by them4#i ,that which the ,greeks called misy1 and the ,romans the ,libyan truffle1#aj was white and of very delicious flavour1 whilst by hydnum 7when this word really meant truffle7 they usually designated a particular kind bearing a smooth red rind1 and abounding in certain districts of ,italy2 but having no chance against the black1 nodulated tuber tuberum1 the truffle par excellence1 found in such abundance in the vicinities of ,rome1 ,florence1 ,siena1 etc41 and1 above all1 amongst the ,nursian hills of ,umbria1 over against ,spoleto1 whence it is largely exported throughout and beyond ,italy4 ,under the name ,peziza1 the ancients appear at times to describe1 unconsciously1 a ,scleroderma or species of puff-ball after it has evacuated its seed1 when it presents a flattened surface1 and so far looks like a ,peziza1 with which1 in fact1 it has no connection4 ,by ,amanita1 ,galen intended some kind of esculent fungus1 but we know not which2 this word has now come to have a more extensive import1 and to designate1 besides one or two species that are good1 many of the most dangerous character4 ,whatever the ancient ,amanita may have been1 it was formerly in high repute2 ,galen declares that1 next to the ,boletus1 it is to eat--in which good report of it he is abundantly borne out by the concurrent testimony of ,nicander4 ,what ,dioscorides meant by is another uncertainty1 to resolve which we have not sufficient data2 one thing seems plain1 that it could not have been our officinal ,agaric1 for that grows upon the ,larch1 whereas his ,agaricon grew upon the ,cedar4 ,julius ,scaliger amuses himself at the expense of ,athenus for saying that ,agaricus is so called from the country of ,agaria1 whence he would make out that it originally came2 whereas there never was such a country1 his ,agaria being1 like our ,poiatia1 only another synonym for ,fancy's fairyland4#aa ,the words champignon and mushroom have both a ,french origin1 though1 like the corresponding derivatives from the ,greek and ,latin1 they too have come to signify things different from what they originally designated2 champignon1 for example1 of which champ would seem to be the root1 is generic in ,france4 ,the #8,traits sur les ,champignons' of ,bulliard1 ,persoon1 ,paulet1 ,cordier1 and ,roques1 are treatises of funguses in genere2 whilst in ,england we restrict the word champignon to one small ,agaric1 which1 as it grows in the so-called 8fairy-rings10 is hence named ,ag4 oreades4 ,again1 there can be no doubt that our word mushroom 7which1 as contradistinguished from toadstool1 is so far generic7 comes from the ,french mouceron 7originally spelt mousseron71 and belongs of right to that most dainty of funguses1 the ,a4 prunulus1 which grows amidst tender herbage and moss 7whence its name71 and which is justly considered1 over almost the whole continent of ,europe1 as the ne plus ultra of culinary friandise4 ,it abounds in various parts of ,england1 being everywhere trodden underfoot1 or reaped down1 or dug up as a nuisance1 while the rings which it so sedulously forms are as sedulously destroyed4 ,the very odour which it exhales under these injuries1 which the ,french call 8un parfum exquis aromatis10#ab and the ,italians1 8un odore gratissimo10#ac is in ,england occasionally cited to its disadvantage in confirmation of its supposed noxious qualities4 ,thus1 while we use the word mushroom1 which is the proper appellation of this species1 for another 7very good1 no doubt1 but wholly unlike it in its botanical characters1 flavour1 and appearance71 this neglected1 and ignorantly neglected1 species1 finds itself deprived of its rightful name1 and proscribed as a toadstool4 ,the origin of this last word1 toadstool1 which makes them seats or thrones for toads1 does not quite satisfy me1 ,i confess1 though there be doughty authorities for it in ,johnson's ,dictionary and in ,spenser's #8,faery ,queen'6 8,the grisly todestool grown there mought ,i see1 ,and loathed paddocks lording on the same20 and1 though an anonymous ,italian authority declares that1 in ,germany1 they have actually been seen sitting on their stools1#ad still1 even in ,germany1 it must be admitted that they do not use them as frequently as we might expect1 had they been created for this end4 ,in that most grisly and ghastly waxwork exhibition at ,florence1 representing a charnel-house filled with the recent victims to a raging plague1 in every stage of decomposition1 the toad and his stool are not forgotten2 but the artist1 who had here to deal with matter1 and to consult what it would bear1 has not put his toads upon these brittle stools1 lest1 giving way1 both should come to the ground2 he has been content to convert them into toad-umbrellas1 and to spread them as an awning over their heads4#ae ,,the ,,range ,,of ,,fungus ,,growths4 ,the family of ,funguses1 in the comprehensive sense in which we now employ the term1 is immense4 ,merely catalogued and described1 there are sufficient to fill an octavo volume of nearly #djj pages of close print1 of ,british species alone2 altogether1 there cannot be less than #ejjj recognized species at present known1 and each year adds new ones to the list4 ,the reader's surprise at this will somewhat diminish1 when he considers1 that not only the toadstools which beset his walks1 whether growing upon the ground or at the roots of trees1 belong to this class1 but that the immense hordes of parasites which feed at his expense1 and foul1 like the ,harpies1 whatever they may not actually consume1 belong to it also4 ,for the single mushroom that we eat1 how many hundreds there be that retaliate and prey upon us in return6 ,to enumerate but a few1 and these of the microscopic kinds 7on the other side are some which the arms can scarcely embrace73 the ,mucor mucedo1 that spawns upon our dried preserves2 the ,ascophora mucedo1 that makes our bread mouldy 78mucid frustra farin0#af72 the ,uredo segetum1 that burns ,ceres out of her own cornfields2 the ,uredo rubigo1 whose rust is still more destructive2 and the ,puccinia graminis1 whose voracity sets corn-laws and farmers at defiance1 are all funguses6 ,so is the grey ,monilia1 that rots1 and then fattens upon1 our fruits2 and the ,mucor herbariorum1 that destroys the careful gleanings of the painstaking botanist4 ,when our beer becomes mothery1 the mother of that mischief is a fungus4 ,if pickles acquire a bad taste1 if ketchup turns ropy and putrifies1 funguses have a finger in it all6 ,their reign stops not here2 they prey upon each other2 they even select their victims6 ,there is the ,myrothecium viride1 which will only grow upon dry ,agarics1 preferring chiefly1 for this purpose1 the ,agaricus adustus2 the ,mucor#ag chrysospermus1 which attacks the flesh of a particular ,boletus2 the ,sclerotium cornutum1 which visits some other moist mushrooms in decay4 ,there are some ,xylomas that will spot the leaves of the ,maple1 and some those of the ,willow1 exclusively4 ,the naked seeds of some are found burrowing between the opposite surface of leaves2 some love the neighbourhood of burnt stubble and charred wood2 some visit the sculptor in his studio1 growing up amidst the heaps of moistened marble dust that have caked and consolidated under his saw4 ,the ,racodium of the low cellar#ah festoons its ceiling1 shags its walls1 and wraps its thick coat round our wine-casks1#ai keeping our oldest wine in closest bond2 while the ,geastrum1 aspiring occasionally to leave this earth1 has been found suspended1 like ,mahomet's coffin1 between it and the stars1 on the very highest pinnacle of ,st4 ,paul's4#bj ,the close cavities of nuts occasionally afford concealment to some species2 others1 like leeches1 stick to the bulbs of plants1 and suck them dry2 these 7the architect's and ship-builder's bane7 pick timber to pieces1 as men pick oakum2 nor do they confine their selective ravages to plants alone1 they attach themselves to animal structures1 and destroy animal life2 the ,onygena equina has a particular fancy for the hoofs of horses and for the horns of cattle1 sticking to these alone2 the belly of a tropical fly#ba is liable1 in autumn1 to break out into vegetable tufts of fungous growth1 and the caterpillar to carry about on his body a ,cordyceps larger than himself4 ,the disease called ,muscadine1 which destroys so many silkworms1 is also a fungus 7,botrytis ,bassiana71 which in a very short time completely fills the worm with filaments very unlike those it is in the habit of secreting4#bb ,the vegetating wasp1#bc too1 of which everybody has heard1 is only another mysterious blending of vegetable with insect life4 ,lastly1 and to take breath1 funguses visit the wards of our hospitals1 and grow out of the products of surgical disease4#bd ,where1 then1 are they not to be found8 do they not abound1 like ,pharaoh's plagues1 everywhere8 is not their name legion1 and their province ubiquity8#be ,,of ,,their ,,general ,,forms1 ,,colours1 ,,texture1 ,,tastes1 ,,smells1 ,,etc4 ,what geometry shall define their ever-varying shapes8 who but a ,venetian painter do justice to their colours8#bf or what modifications of #8soft' and #8hard' convey an adequate knowledge of all their various crases and consistencies8 ,as to shapes1 some are simple threads1 like the ,byssus1 and never get beyond this2 some shoot out into branches1 like seaweed2 some puff themselves out into puff-balls2 some thrust their heads into mitres2#bg these assume the shape of a cup1#bh and those of a wine-funnel2#bi some1 like ,a4 mammosus1 have a teat2 others1 like the ,a4 clypeolarius1 are umbonated at their centre2 these are stilted upon a high leg1#cj and those have not a leg to stand on2 some are shell-shaped1 many bell-shaped1 and some hang upon their stalks like a lawyer's wig2#ca some assume the form of the horse's hoof1 others of a goat's beard3 in ,clathrus cancellatus you look into the fungus through a thick red trellis which surrounds it4 ,some exhibit a nest in which they rear their young1#cb and1 not to speak of those vague shapes1 8,if shapes they can be called1 that shape have none ,determinate10 of such tree parasites as are fain to mould themselves at the will of their entertainer 7the fate of parasites1 whether under oak or mahogany71 mention may be made of two1 of which the forms are at once singular and constant2 one exactly like an ear1 and given for some good reason to ,judas 7,auricula ,jud71 clings to several trees1 and trembles when you touch it2 the other1 which lolls out from the bark of chestnut-trees 7,lingua di ,castagna71 is so like a tongue in shape and general appearance1#cc that in the days of enchanted trees you would not have cut it off to pickle or to eat on any account1 lest the knight to whom it belonged should afterwards come to claim it of you4 ,the above are amongst the most remarkable of the many ,protean forms assumed by funguses2 as to their colours1 we find in one genus only species which correspond to every hue6 ,the ,agaricus ,csareus1 the ,a4 muscarius1 the ,a4 sanguineus1 assume the imperial purple1 the ,a4 violaceus a beautiful violet1 the ,a4 sulphureus a bright yellow1 the ,a4 adustus a dingy black1 the ,a4 exquisitus1 and many others1 a milk-white2 whilst the ,a4 virescens takes that which1 in this class of plants1 is the rarest of all to meet with1 a pale-green colour4 ,the upper surface of some is zoned with concentric circles of different hues2 sometimes it is spotted1 at other times of a uniform tint4 ,the bonnets of some shine as if they were sprinkled with mica2#cd these have a rich velvety1 those a smooth kid-like covering stretched over them4 ,some pilei are imbricated with brown scales1 some flocked with white shreds of membrane1 and some are stained with various-coloured milks secreted from within4 ,the consistence of funguses is very different according to their sort1 and the epithets of woody1 corky1 leathery1 spongy1 fleshy1 gelatinous1 pulpy1 or mucous1 will all find fitting application to some of them4 ,occasionally a fungus is secreted soft1 but hardens by degrees into a compact and woody texture4 ,,odours ,,and ,,tastes4 ,both one and the other are far more numerous in this class of plants than in any other with which we are acquainted4 ,as to odours1 though these be generally most powerful in the fresh condition of the fungus1 they are sometimes increased by drying it1 during which process too some species1 inodorous before1 acquire an odour1 and not always a pleasant one4 ,some yield an insupportable stench2 the ,phallus impudicus and ,clathrus cancellatus are of this kind4 ,a botanist had by mistake taken one of the former into his bedroom2 he was soon awakened by an intolerable ftor1 and was glad to open his window and get rid of it1 as he hoped1 and the ,phallus together4 ,here he was disappointed2 8sublat caus non tollitur effectus10 the ftor remaining nearly the same for some hours afterwards4 ,a lady1 a friend of mine1 who was drawing one in a room1 was obliged to take it into the open air to complete her sketch4 ,as to the ,clathrus1 ,i have found ten minutes in a room with it nine too many3 it becomes insupportably offensive in a short time1 and its infective stench has given rise to a superstition entertained of it throughout the ,landes1 viz4 that it is capable of producing cancer--in consequence of which superstition the inhabitants1 who call it ,cancrou1 or ,cancer1 cover it carefully over1 lest by accident some one should chance to touch it1 and become infected with that horrible disease in consequence4#ce ,batsch has described an ,agaric#cf of so powerful and peculiar a smell1 that before he could finish his picture 7for he was drawing it7 a violent headache made him desist1 8vehementi afficiebar capitis dolore40 ,of the others1 some are graveolent in a savoury or in an unsavoury sense4 ,this smells strong of onions1#cg that of cinnamon1#ch from which it takes its name2 the ,a4 ostreatus 7auct4 nost47 most powerfully of ,tarragon2 ,a4 odoratus1 and the ,cantharellus1 like apricots and ratafia 7,purton72 ,boletus salicinus1 8like the bloom of ,may0 7,abbott72 the ,a4 sanguineus1 when dry1 savours of a stale poultice2 ,a4 piperatus1 of the ,triglia1 or red mullet2 the ,hydna generally give out a smell of tallow2 moulds have their own smells1 which are mouldy and musty2 some exhale the smell of putrid meat1 many the odour of fresh meal2 the spawn of ,a4 prunulus and of the puff-balls 7,lycoperdons7 exhale an odour similar to the perfect plants2 but the ,pietra funghaia1 filled with the spores of its own ,polyporus1 is without smell4 ,when fresh1 there is scarcely any perceptible odour in ,boletus edulis or ,b4 luridus1 nor yet in the ,a4 ,csareus when recently gathered4 ,a word about their tastes will suffice3 with so many smells1 they must needs have flavours to correspond1 and so they have2 sapid1 sweet1 sour1 peppery1 rich1 rank1 acrid1 nauseous1 bitter1 styptic1 might be all found in an ,english 8gradus0 7though at present1 ,i am sorry to say1 without any lines from poets in whose writings they occur71 after the word #8,fungus4' ,in a few1 generally of an unsafe character1 there is little or no taste in the mouth while they are being masticated1 but shortly after deglutition1 the fauces become dry1 and a sense of more or less constriction is apt to supervene1 which frequently continues for some time afterwards4 ,,expansive ,,power ,,of ,,growth4 ,soft and yielding as vegetable structures appear to the touch1 the expansive force of their growth is almost beyond calculation4 ,the effects of this power1 of which the experience of every one will furnish him with some instances1 are perhaps nowhere more strikingly exemplified than amidst the ruins of its own creation4 ,coeval with many old brick fabrics of earlier times1 perhaps embedded in the very mortar which holds them together1 it may lurk there for centuries in quiescence1 till once arousing its energies1 it continues to exert them in ceaseless activity ever after4 ,it has at ,rome planted its pink ,valerians on her highest towers1 and its wild fig-tree in the breaches of her walls2 nor are the granite obelisks of her piazzas1 nor the classic groups in marble on her ,quirinal mount1 entirely exempt from its encroachments4 ,a conspiracy of plants1 one hundred strong1 have long ago planned the destruction of the ,coliseum2 their undermining process advances each year1 and neither iron nor new brickwork can arrest it long4 ,that old ,roman cement1 which the barbarians gave up as impracticable1 and the pickaxe of the ,barberini had but begun to disintegrate1 will1 ere the lapse of another century1 be effectually pulled to pieces by the rending arm of vegetation4 ,here1 as erst in ,juvenal's time1 the mala ficus finds no walls too strong to rive asunder1 no tower beyond the reach of its scaling1 no monument too sacred for it to touch4 ,in the class of plants immediately under consideration1 while the expansive effort of growth is equal to what it is in other cases1 its effects are far more startling from their suddenness4 ,m4 ,bulliard 7to cite one or two instances out of a great many7 relates1 that on placing a ,phallus impudicus within a glass vessel1 the plant expanded so rapidly as to shiver its sides with an explosive detonation as loud as that of a pistol4 ,dr4 ,carpenter1 in his #8,elements of ,physiology1' mentions that 8in the neighbourhood of ,basingstoke a paving-stone1 measuring twenty-one inches square1 and weighing eighty-three pounds1 was completely raised an inch and a half out of its bed by a mass of toadstools1 of from six to seven inches in diameter1 and that nearly the whole pavement of the town suffered displacement from the same cause40 ,a friend has seen a crop of puff-balls raise large flagstones considerably above the plane of their original level2 and ,i have myself recently witnessed an extensive displacement of the pegs of a wooden pavement which had been driven nine inches into the ground1 but were heaved up irregularly1 in several places1 by small bouquets of ,agarics1 growing from below4 ,,reproductive ,,power4 ,funguses have a remarkable power of re-forming such parts of their substance as have been accidentally or otherwise removed4 ,vittadini found that when the tubes of a ,boletus were cut out from a growing plant1 they were after a time reproduced4 ,where deep holes have been eaten into these plants by snails1 such holes1 on the ,boletus attaining to its full growth1 are partially refilled4 ,if the tender ,polyporus be cut across1 the wound immediately sets about healing by the first intention1 leaving not even a cicatrice to mark the original seat of the injury4 ,the ,lycoperdons 7,bovista71 which are often accidentally wounded by the scythe1 have the same faculty of repairing the injury1 remodelling afresh the parts that may have been excised from them4#ci ,,motion4 ,in a recent work on #8,insect ,life1' ,i have discoursed somewhat at large on the insufficiency of any kind of movements as proofs of sensation1 quoting1 amidst other evidences to this effect1 certain remarkable movements in plants4 ,some of the present family exhibit the phenomena of insensitive motion in a remarkable manner1 and might have been added to the list already cited in that publication4 ,mr4 ,robson has given us a very interesting account of the movements he observed in the scarlet ,clathrus1 which is here transcribed in his own words4 ,it is interesting to notice how an unbiassed observer uses the very terms to designate the movements of a plant which would have been minutely descriptive of those of an insect3--8,at first ,i was much surprised to see a part of the fibres1 that had got through a rupture in the top of the ,clathrus1 moving like the legs of a fly when laid on his back4 ,i then touched it with the point of a pin1 and was still more surprised when ,i saw it present the appearance of a little bundle of worms entangled together1 the fibres being all alive4 ,i next took the little bundle of fibres quite out1 and the animal motion was then so strong as to turn the head halfway round1 first one way and then another1 and two or three times it got out of the focus4 ,almost every fibre had a different motion2 some of them twined round one another1 and then untwined again1 whilst others were bending1 extending1 coiling1 waving1 etc4 ,the fibres had many little balls adhering to their sides1 which ,i take to be the seeds1 and ,i observed many of them to be disengaged at every motion of the fibres2 the seeds appeared like gunpowder finely granulated40 ,instances from other authors abound4 8,an ,helvella inflata1 on being touched by me once1 threw up its seeds in the form of a smoke1 which arose with an elastic bound1 glittering in the sunshine like particles of silver40#dj 8,the ,vibrissea truncorum1 taken from water and exposed to the rays of the sun1 though at first smooth1 is soon covered with white geniculated filaments1 which start from the hymenium1 and have an oscillating motion40#da ,the ,pilobolus1 of which so accurate an account has been given us by the great ,florentine mycologist1#db casts1 as its name imports1 its seeds into the air2 these also escape with a strong projectile force from the upper surface of ,pezizas1 the anfractuosities of the ,morel1 and from the gills of ,agarics4#dc ,,phosphorescence4 ,several kinds of funguses1 and the spawn of the truffle1 emit a phosphorescent light2 of the first1 the ,agaricus olearius1 not uncommon in ,italy1 is sometimes seen at night1 feebly shining amidst the darkness of the olive grove4 ,the coal-mines near ,dresden have long been celebrated for the production of funguses which emit a light similar to a pale moonlight4 ,mr4 ,drummond describes an ,australian fungus with similar properties2 and another very interesting one1 an ,agaric1 is noticed by ,mr4 ,gardner1 in his #8,travels in ,brazil4'#dd ,,dimensions4 ,most funguses do not present great anomalies in their size1 but retain nearly the same dimensions throughout the whole course of their being2 some few species1 however1 seem to have a faculty of almost indefinite expansion4 ,the usual size of a puff-ball1 as we all know1 is not much larger than an egg1 but some puff-balls attain to the dimensions of the human head1#de or exceed it4 ,mr4 ,berkeley quotes the case of a ,polyporus squamosus1 which in three weeks grew to seven feet five inches in periphery1 and weighed thirty-four pounds2 also of a ,polyporus fraxineus1 which in a few years measured forty-two inches across4 ,clusius#df tells us of a fungus in ,pannonia1 of such immense size1 that after satisfying the cravings of a large mycophilous household1 enough of it remained to fill a chariot2 this must have been the ,polyporus frondosus1 to which ,polyporus ,john ,bapt4 ,porta#dg also alludes as that called gallinace#dh by the ,neapolitans1 which is so big1 he says1 that you can scarcely make your hands meet round it1 8brachiis diductis vix homo complecti possit20 he had known it attain twelve pounds weight in a few days4#di ,bolton1 in #aghg1 found an ,agaricus muscarius1 which1 8after the removal of a considerable portion of its stalk1 weighed nearly two pounds20 ,withering1 an ,a4 ,georgii1 8which weighed fourteen pounds10 and ,mr4 ,stackhouse another of the same species in ,cornwall1 8which was eighteen inches across1 and had a stem as thick as a man's wrist20 and ,i lately picked in the park at ,buckhurst1 a ,boletus edulis which measured twenty-eight inches round its pileus1 and eight round the stem1 and a few days later a ,b4 pachypus1 the girth of which was thirty-two inches4 ,,chemical ,,composition4 ,of all vegetable productions these are the most highly azotized1 that is1 animalized in their composition--a fact not only evinced by the strong cadaverous smell which some of them give out in decay1 and by the savoury animalized meat which others afford at table1 but on the evidence of chemistry also4 ,thus ,dr4 ,marcet has proved that1 like animals1 they absorb a large quantity of oxygen1 and disengage in return1 from their surface1 a large quantity of carbonic acid2 all however do not exhale carbonic acid1 but1 in lieu of it1 some give out hydrogen1 and others azotic gas4 ,they yield1 moreover1 to chemical analysis the several components of which animal structures are made up2 many of them1 in addition to sugar1 gum1 resin1 a peculiar acid called fungic acid1 and a variety of salts1 furnish considerable quantities of albumen1 adipocire1 and osmazome1 which last is that principle that gives its peculiar flavour to meat gravy4 ,the ,polyporus sulphureus is frequently covered with little crystals of the binoxalate of potash2#ej the ,agaricus piperatus yields the acetate of potash1#ea and it is probable that other funguses of which we have as yet no recorded analysis will1 on the institution of such1 be found to contain some new and unexpected ingredient peculiar to themselves4 ,when these several substances have been duly extracted from funguses1 there is left behind for a common base the solid structure of the plant itself2 this1 which is called fungine1 is white1 flabby1 insipid in its taste1 but highly nutritious in its properties4 ,if nitric acid be poured upon it1 an immediate disengagement of azotic gas takes place1 and several new substances are the result3 a bitter principle1 a reddish resinoid matter1 hydrocyanic and oxalic acids1 and two remarkable fatty substances1 whereof one resembles tallow1 the other wax4 ,if dilute sulphuric acid be poured upon this fungine1 no change ensues2 but if muriatic acid be substituted1 the result is a jelly4 ,,uses4 ,the uses to which funguses have been put are various1 and1 had the properties of these plants been as extensively investigated as those which belong to the phanerogamic classes1 they would probably by this time have proved still more numerous3 some1 as the ,polyporus sulphureus1 furnish a useful colour for dyeing2#eb the ,agaricus atramentarius makes ink2 divers ,lycoperdons1 of which other mention will be made presently when we come to speak of such species as are esculent1 have also been employed for stupefying bees1 for stanching blood1 and for making tinder2 their employment in the first of these capacities1 seems to have escaped the observation of the accurate author of #8,les ,jardins1' who has mentioned the others3-- 8,ce puissant ,agaric1 qui du sang panch ,arrte les ruisseaux1 et dont le sein fidle ,du caillou ptillant recueille l'tincelle40 ,the #8caillou1' alas1 like the poet who struck this spark out of it1 is now obsolete2 but amadou is still in vogue1 being employed for many household purposes2 in addition to which1 a medical practitioner of ,covent ,garden has of late been in the habit of using extensive sheets of it to cover over and protect the backs of those bedridden invalids whose cruel sufferings make such large demands upon our sympathy1--for the alleviation of which so little is to be done6--as it is more elastic than chamois leather1 it is less liable to crumple up when lain upon1 and on this account has been preferred to it by several of our metropolitan surgeons of eminence2 some employ it also as a gentle compress over varicose veins1 where it supports the distended vessels without pressing too tightly upon the limb4 ,gleditsch relates1 that the poorer inhabitants of ,franconia stitch it together1 and make dresses of it2 and also that the ,laplanders burn it in the neighbourhood of their dwellings1 to secure their reindeer from the attacks of gadflies1 which are repelled by the smoke2 thus 8good at need10 it really deserves the epithet of #8puissant1' given to it by ,delille4#ec ,the ,polyporus squamosus makes a razor-strop far superior to any of those at present patented1 and sold1 with high-sounding epithets1 far beyond their deserts4 ,to prepare the ,polyporus for this purpose1 it must be cut from the ash-tree in autumn1 when its juices have been dried and its substance has become consolidated2 it is then to be flattened out for twenty-four hours in a press1 after which it should be carefully rubbed with pumice1 sliced longitudinally1 and every slip that is free from the erosions of insects be then glued upon a wooden stretcher4 ,cesalpinus knew all this6 and the barbers in his time knew it too2#ed and it is not a little remarkable that so useful an invention should1 in an age of puffing1 advertisement1 and improvement1 like our own1 have been entirely lost sight of4 ,imperato employed and recommends it as an excellent detergent1 with which to brush and comb out the scurf from the hair4 ,the ,agaricus muscarius is largely employed in ,kamtchatka1 in decoction with the ,epilobium angustifolium1 as an intoxicating liquor4#ee ,the ,laplanders smear it on the walls and bedposts of their dwellings1 to destroy bugs 7,linn472 and ,clusius relates1 that it is sold extensively in the market at ,frankfort1 to poison flies2 for this purpose1 it is either cut into small pieces and thrown about the premises1 or else boiled in milk and placed upon the window-sills2 in either case it is vastly inferior in efficacy to that celebrated 8mort aux mouches10 the impure oxide of cobalt1 that is1 to the arsenic which this contains4 ,the above are a few of the uses1 exclusive of the esculent or medical ones1 to which funguses have been put2 it is fair1 however1 to notice that they maintain a debtor1 as well as a creditor1 account with mankind1 in which the balance seems to be occasionally quite against us2 those that are most injurious are generally1 as has been already stated1 of the microscopic kinds2 whereof some attack young plants still underground1 emulging them completely of their juices1 in consequence of which they perish2 others1 like the corn-blights1 permit the plant to attain maturity before they begin their work of destruction1 and destroy it just as it is beginning to fructify4#ef ,the fearful epidemics to which grain so infected has given rise are well known1 though it is still a matter of question whether the ergoted corn owes its unwholesome qualities to the injury which it had sustained from the blight1 or to the blight itself4 ,though the mischief produced by parasitic funguses be unquestionably great1 this occasional and very partial evil is more than compensated by the much greater amount of good accomplished solely by their agency1 in the assistance they afford to the decomposition of animal and vegetable tissues1 which has procured for them the name1 not unaptly applied1 of 8nature's scavengers40 ,this decomposition they effect by assimilating1 through the medium of their radicles1 the juices of the decaying structure in which they are developed1 loosening thereby its cohesion1 and causing it to break up into a rapid dissolution of its parts4#eg ,,medical ,,uses4 ,of the funguses formerly employed in medicine few are now in vogue2 the ergot of rye still keeps its ground1 and in cases of protracted labour1 when judiciously employed1 is valuable in assisting nature when unequal to the necessary efforts of parturition4 ,another fungus1 formerly much in fashion1 though now put on the shelf1 seems really to deserve further trial2 ,i mean the ,polyporus suaveolens 7,linn471 which in that most intractable disease1 tubercular consumption1 surely claims to be tried when there are such respectable authorities to vouch for its surprising effects1 in cases where everything else had been notoriously unsuccessful4#eh ,sartorius was the first to prescribe it as a remedy in phthisis1 and its employment with this view1 since his day1 has at various times been prconized on the ,continent2 the dose generally recommended being a scruple of the powder two or three times a day4 ,of the cases published by ,professors ,schmidel and ,wendst 7which have an air of good faith in their recital1 well entitling them to consideration71 ,i abridge one as an example1 though the others are not less interesting2 and while it is certainly to be regretted that the absence of stethoscopic indications should prevent our having any positive evidence as to the precise condition of the diseased lung1 or of the nature of the secretion expectorated1 still1 even supposing them to be simple cases of chronic bronchitis1 with marasmus the efficacy of the remedy is scarcely less striking or instructive4 8,a young man1 tat4 twenty-one1 was seized at the beginning of autumn with inflammatory cough and hmoptysis1 which were partially subdued by ,v4 ,s4 and the ordinary antiphlogistic treatment2 but the cough1 coming on again with renewed severity during the winter1 was accompanied with the expuition of glairy mucus1 which was sometimes specked with blood4 ,towards the spring the young man had become much thinner1 and was continuing to waste away2 the expectoration also had changed its colour1 and had become fetid and green2 his nights were feverish and disturbed2 he had no desire for food1 and ate but little2 his ankles had begun to swell2 he had copious night-sweats and diarrha4 ,a teaspoonful of an electuary of the ,p4 suaveolens in honey was given him three times a day1 and nothing else2 and1 extraordinary as it may appear1 under this treatment the sweats speedily began to diminish with the cough1 and after a three months' continuance of the medicine the patient entirely recovered40#ei ,the ,polyporus laricis1 the so-called ,agaric of pharmacy1 is a powerful but most uncertain medicine1 and has been also recommended in consumption4 ,i once administered a few grains of it in this disease1 when violent pains and hypercatharsis supervened1 which lasted for several hours4 ,,mm4 ,b4 ,lagrange and ,braconnot found it to contain a large quantity of an acrid resin1 to which it no doubt owes its hypercathartic properties4 ,to judge from this single case1 which1 however1 tallies with the experience of others1 ,i should say that this fungus was1 in medicine1 to be looked upon as a very suspicious ally4#fj ,the ,a4 muscarius has also been used in medicine4 ,whistling1 so long ago as #aggh1 wrote on its healing virtues1 in ,latin1 recommending its powder as a valuable application with which to sprinkle sanious sores and excoriated nipples4 ,plenck gave drachm doses of it internally in epilepsy1 and1 together with ,bernhard and ,whistling1 attests its success4 ,it appears that the ,phallus mucus in ,china1 and the ,lycoperdon carcinomale near the ,cape of ,good ,hope1 are used also by the inhabitants of those countries as external applications for cancerous sores4 ,the ,phallus1 rubbed upon the skin1 is said to deaden its sensibility1 like the narke1 or electric skate4 ,,funguses ,,considered ,,as ,,an ,,article ,,of ,,diet4 ,if all the good things ever said about the stomach since the days of ,menenius ,agrippa1 or before his time1 could be collected1 they would doubtless form an interesting volume2 ,aretus has somewhere quaintly1 but not unaptly1 called it the 8house of ,plato20 in another place he speaks of it as the 8seat0 7as if ' 7 8of pleasure and of pain20 and so it is indeed1 and it has moreover a notorious tendency1 when provoked1 to cool our charity and to heat our blood2 its sympathies by nervous attachments1 both of 8continuity0 and of 8contiguity10#fa with the other organs of the body1 are extensive and complicated2 no wonder then that it should have enlisted ours in its behalf1 and that few of us would offend it wittingly1 though by indiscretions we do offend it continually4 ,in the 8sensual philosophy10 of the ,french school particularly1 the stomach has received marked attention1 ranking in that country as the most noble of the viscera4#fb ,even in those republican times when no other rights were held sacred throughout ,france1 the privileges of the stomach were respected2 when men found that they might get on quite as well1 or better1 with a bad heart1 but that they could not get on so well without a good digestion1 it is not so much to be wondered at if they made idols of their bellies1 established a ,school of ,cooks to rival the ,school of ,athens1 and became famous for 8those charming little suppers in which they used to set the decencies of life at defiance40#fc ,but if in ,france far too much attention has been paid to the culinary art1 too little attention has surely been paid to it at home2 for the art of cookery1 properly understood1 is not only the art of pleasing the palate1 but the stomach also4#fd ,in ,france1 the dinner is the thought of the morning1 and sometimes the business of the day1 but in ,france everybody dines2 in ,england1 where the word #8dinner' never occurs till it is announced1 a few wealthy men dine well1 the middling ranks badly1 and the poor not at all4 ,not that even the poorer orders generally want the necessary materials for such repast2 they frequently consume more butcher's meat than is consumed by their ,continental neighbours2 it is simply that they want skill in preparing it4 ,if it be scanty1 they cannot tell how to make the most of it2 if it be homely1 they cannot tell how to improve its flavour by uniting and blending with it a certain class of inexpensive luxuries1 which1 though they grow everywhere throughout the country1 are everywhere neglected4 ,touching the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of these1 ,i have now a few words to address to the common-sense reader2 that is1 to him who prefers feasting upon funguses to fasting out of mere prejudice4 ,formerly men used to refer such questions as this to their physician2 they would 8,try what ,mead or ,cheselden advised40#fe intending1 perhaps1 to take some little poetical license with it afterwards4 ,abernethy1 on the anecdote of the oysters and oyster-shells being duly substantiated1 would have been ostracized from polite society in those days of decorous etiquette1 when1 as medical men affected to be more dientereumatic with the insides of their patients than any of us now pretend to be1 they must needs have been far more affable when consulted on such cases than we of the present day might be2 though they did not therefore always answer the same question in the same way2 one1 for instance1 8,le mdecin ,tant ,pis10 would frequently proscribe the very things that his rival1 8,le mdecin ,tant ,mieux10 had just been recommending4 ,when men came to find they must either give up some favourite article of food or else give up the anathema pronounced against it1 they generally preferred the latter course1 and were sure1 to use a medical phrase1 to 8do well0 if they did so2 whilst a few wretched hypochondriacs1 adopting the other alternative1 and living strictly en rgime1 became only the more hypochondriacal for their pains4 ,none but a determined theorist#ff would nowadays think of prescribing diet for the stomach of a single patient1 far less for all those of a polygastric public2 neither does an enlightened1 self-educated public1 that can read ,liebig and thoroughly appreciate its own case1 hold out much encouragement for such advice4 ,the day is past without return for long-winded prose epic on indigestion2 a livelier mode of dealing with the subject of non-naturals1 in the shape of novels and romances1 has won the public ear4 ,broussais' five-act tragedy of #8,gastro-,enteritis'#fg has received its last plaudits2 already has ,crabbe's euthanasia to this class of authors attained its full accomplishment3-- 8,ye tedious triflers1 ,truth's destructive foes1 ,ye sons of ,fiction clad in stupid prose1 ,o'erweening teachers1 who1 yourselves in doubt1 ,light up false fires and send us far about1 ,long may the spider round your pages spin1 ,subtle and slow1 her emblematic gin4 ,buried in dust and lost in silence dwell1 ,most potent1 dull1 and reverend friends1 farewell60 ,no article of diet was ever half so roughly handled as the fungus4 ,what diatribes against it might be cited from the works of ,athenus1 ,dioscorides1 ,galen1 ,pliny1 the ,arabian physicians1 and all their commentators6 ,what terrible recitals1 too1 of poisoning from some few species have been industriously circulated1 and the unfavourable inference drawn from these1 been applied to the whole tribe--a mistake which some writers1 even in modern times1 have perpetuated4 ,thus1 ,kirker votes the whole 8a family of malignants20#fh thus too ,allen and ,batarra pen unsolicited apages1#fi and warn us1 in an especial manner1 to beware of them2 while ,scopoli includes in his very definition of a fungus1 that it is of a class of plants which are always to be suspected1 and which are for the most part poisonous4 ,tertullian1 with more of epigram than of truth1 makes out1 that for every different hue they display there is a pain to correspond to it1 and just so many modes of death as there are distinct species2#gj to all which1 and a great deal more similar rhapsody and invective1 tens of thousands of our ,continental neighbours in the daily habit of eating nothing else but funguses might reply1 in the words of ,plautus-- 8,adeone me fuisse fungum ut qui illis crederem80 ,those who abuse funguses generally do so from prejudice rather than from personal experience1 objecting to their flesh as being heavy of digestion1 and to their juices as being more or less prejudicial to health4 ,some say they are too rich1 others of too heating a character4 ,these objections are for the most part without foundation1 as those who eat them can abundantly testify4 ,to quote the authority of one or two medical friends on the ,continent1 formed on large personal experience1 in favour of the excellence of this diet1 ,professors ,puccinelli of ,lucca1 ,briganti of ,naples1 ,sanguinetti of ,rome1 ,ottaviani of ,urbino1 ,viviani of ,genoa1 are all consumers of funguses4 ,vittadini1 whose excellent work on the esculent kinds of ,italy is without a rival1 himself eats1 and gives us ample receipts for dressing them4 ,in ,france1 a similar service has been rendered to the public by ,paulet1 ,persoon1 ,cordier1 and ,roques1#ga who have severally published excellent treatises on the various kinds fit for food1 as they occur in the different provinces2 whilst the influence of the last winter has been the means of introducing several new species into the ,parisian markets1 thus causing them to be very generally known4 ,not to multiply individual testimony needlessly1 let that of ,schwgrichen suffice1 who tells us1 that on seeing the peasants about ,nuremberg eating raw mushrooms1#gb he too1 for several weeks1 restricted himself entirely to this diet1 8eating with them nothing but bread1 and drinking nothing but water1 when1 instead of finding his health impaired1 he rather experienced an increase of strength40 ,vegetior evasit6 as the inscription at ,rome relates to have been the case with ,st4 ,john when he emerged1 after one hour's cooking1 from a caldron of boiling oil4 ,in a word1 that which has been the daily bread of nations--the poor man's manna--for many centuries1 cannot be an unwholesome1 much less a dangerous food4#gc ,funguses1 no doubt1 are a rich and dainty fare2 and so whatever objections apply to made-dishes in genere may apply also to these1 which1 while they contain all the sapid and nutritious constituents of animal food1 have however an advantage over it--viz4 that while they are as rich in gravy as any butcher's meat1 their texture is more tender1 and their specific gravity less4 ,touching the general question as to the wholesomeness of made-dishes1 it might perhaps be stated as a rule1 to which there are many exceptions1 that the more we vary and combine food1 the better chance there is of our digesting it4#gd 8,you must assist nature10 ,hippocrates says1 8by art4 ,you must vary your viands and your drinks4 ,music would tire if it were always to the same tune1 so also does a monotonous regimen tire4#ge ,cooks therefore make mixed dishes1 and he who should always make the same dish would deservedly pass for not being a cook at all40#gf ,and though ,sydenham1 in apparent discordance with this1 recommends one dish for dinner1 it is quite for another reason4 ,plain food may indeed suit some stomachs1 but good cooking suits all stomachs2 and when ,seneca writes1 that 8there are as many diseases as cooks10 ,roques takes him up properly by replying1 8,yes2 as bad cooks40 ,the rule for every dinner1 plain or compound1 is to dress it well--8that which is best administered is best20 and good cooking1 thus understood as the art of improving and of making the most of a thing1 is a matter of equal importance to both rich and poor4 ,it is a safe rule1 ,i believe1 and one recommended on good authority too1 if men wanted authority on such matter1 to eat what they like1 but not as much of it as they like4#gg ,nine-tenths of dyspeptics become so from overfeeding4 8,nauseosa satietas non ex crassis et pravis solum1 sed etiam boni succi alimentis provenit40 ,even ,paracelsus1 though an undoubted quack1 might give some people a hint3 8,dosis sola facit ut venenum sit vel non2 cibus enim vel potus qualibet quantitate majore quo assumtus venenum fit40 ,dyspeptics are willing to enlist your sympathies in their behalf by telling of the delicacy of their mucous membrane1 just as young countesses descant with more success on the extreme susceptibility of their nerves2 nor is it always kindly received1 if a well-wisher should remind them that their sufferings may not after all have been the fault either of their stomach or of the dish which they blame1 but of their own indiscreet use of both4 ,whilst it is an acknowledged fact on all hands that infants are overfed1 and that all children overfeed1 men are by no means so prone or willing to admit that gluttony is perhaps the very last of childish things that they are in the habit of putting away from them4 ,thus1 then1 though funguses are not to be considered unwholesome1 they are1 like other good things1 to be eaten with discretion and not discrtion4 8,if you live an indolent life1 are a sybarite in your heart1 or should some violent passions 7choler1 jealousy1 or revenge7 be dealing with you1 take care in such a case how you eat ragouts of truffles or of mushrooms2 but if1 on the contrary1 your health be good1 your life temperately prudent1 your temper even1 and your mind serene1 then 7provided you like them7 you may eat of these luxuries without the slightest apprehension of their disagreeing with you40 ,m4 ,roques adds1 and with truth1 8it is the wine1 surcharged with alcohol1 of which men drink largely1 in order1 as they say1 to relish and digest their mushrooms and made-dishes1 that disagrees with the stomach1 and that will1 ere long1 produce those visceral obstructions1 and those nephritic ailments1 at once so grievous to bear and so difficult to get rid of40#gh ,if the reader shall retain one word of the following homely lines1 and that word the last1 so as to remember it in place1 he will owe us no fee1 and it will save him many a bitter draught3-- ,lies the last meal all undigested still8 ,does chyle impure your poisoned lacteals fill8 ,does ,gastrodynia's tiny gimlet bore1 ,where the crude load obstructs the rigid door8 ,or does the fiery heartburn flay your throat8 ,do darkling specks before your eyeballs float8 ,do fancied sounds invade your startled ear8 ,does the stopt heart oft wake to pulseless fear8 ,your days all listless1 and your nights all dream1 ,of ,pustule1 ,ecchymose1 and ,emphyseme2 ,till ruthless surgeon shall your paunch explore1 ,and mark each spot with mischief mottled o'er2 ,does all you suffer quite surpass belief8 ,has oft-tried soda ceased to give relief8 ,has bismuth failed1 nor tonics eased your pain8 ,have ,chambers1 ,watson1 both been teased in vain8 ,in case so cross--what cure8--but one3 ,refrain6 ,but the objection against funguses is generally of another kind3 many persons who like good living too well to be afraid of the new introduction of a luxury which is to bring new dyspepsias for them in consequence1 fear lest1 whilst indulging in this 8celestial manna10 this 1 they should meet with the fate of the ,emperor ,claudius1 and prefer remaining vivi to the chance of becoming divi before their time4 ,now there is really no just ground for this fear2 the esculent fungus never becomes poisonous1 nor1 conversely1 the poisonous variety fit to eat4 ,in ,claudius's particular case we must remember that ,locusta medicated1 and ,agrippina cooked1 that celebrated dish1 in which the mushrooms1 after all1 were but the vehicle for the poison4 ,as to the general fact1 though cultivation undoubtedly produces considerable changes in the qualities of this1 as in those of other classes of plants1 they are never of such a kind as to convert that which is esculent in one locality into a dangerous food in another4 8,clum non animum mutat20 4#gi ,that the mushroom is not quite so wholesome when cultivated as it is in the meadow1#hj in a state of nature1 cannot be doubted2#ha and that many persons have suffered1 both in ,france and ,england1 more or less gastric disturbance after eating those taken from hotbeds or from dark foul unaerated places1 is certain2 that mushrooms also in decay1 when chemistry has laid hold of their tissues and changed their juices1 have produced disagreeable sensations in the stomach and bowels1 is not to be questioned2 finally1 that the idiosyncrasy of some persons is opposed to this diet1 as that of others is to shell-fish1 to melons1 cucumbers1 and the like1 must also be ceded3 but none of these admissions surely meddle with the question1 nor go any way towards proving the assumed fact1 viz4 that a mushroom ever changes its nature and becomes poisonous like the toadstool4#hb ,it has been unwarily asserted1 that because the people of the north are in the habit of employing in their kitchen the ,agaricus muscarius1 which is known to be poisonous in the south1 this points to some remarkable difference in the plant depending on difference of locality4 ,it is to be recollected1 however1 that this very same fungus1 if taken in sufficient quantity1 without the precaution usually adopted of soaking it in vinegar before cooking1 has produced fatal accidents1 of which we read the recitals in various mycological works2 and only not more frequently because the plant1 being generally well steeped in brine or acetic acid1 is in most cases robbed of deleterious principles1 the only residue left being pure fungine1 which is equally innoxious and the same in all funguses whatever4 ,it is moreover worthy of remark1 that though the common mushroom 7,ag4 campestris7 varies considerably both as to flavour and wholesomeness 7circumstances attributable in part to the varieties of soil in which it flourishes#hc71 other funguses1 on the contrary1 being mostly restricted for their alimentation and reproduction to some one particular habitat1 do not present such differences4 ,the ,boletus edulis1 the ,fistulina hepatica1 the ,agaricus oreades1 the ,ag4 procerus1 the ,ag4 prunulus1 the ,ag4 fusipes1 the ,cantharellus cibarius1 etc41 are1 in flavour and other sensible qualities1 just the same in ,england as they are in ,france1 ,switzerland1 or ,italy4 ,thus the objection to eat funguses on the ground of their presenting differences depending on those of the locality where they grow1 applies principally1 if it applies at all1 to the ,english mushroom1 of which no housekeeper is afraid1 and by no means to those species the introduction of which into our markets and kitchens forms the main object of this treatise4 ,besides the foregoing objections to funguses on the general ground of their supposed indigestibility1 or else the more particular one of their not being at all times and in all places the same1 a further and weightier one1 as it is commonly urged1 is the alleged impossibility of our being able to discriminate1 with certainty1 the good from the bad2 an objection which derives much of its supposed weight from the apparently clashing testimonies of authors respecting the same species1 who not unfrequently describe1 under a common name1 a fungus which some of them assert to be esculent1 some doubtful1 and others altogether poisonous in its qualities4 ,such discrepancies1 however1 have already in many cases been satisfactorily adjusted1 whilst a more minute attention and corresponding improvement in the pictorial representation of species is daily diminishing the errors of the older mycologists4 ,admitting then1 what there is no gainsaying1 the existence of many dangerous individuals in this family1#hd ought we not1 in a matter of such importance1 rather to apply ourselves to the task of discriminating them accurately#he than permit idle rumours of its impracticability1 or even its real difficulty1 to dehort us from the undertaking8 ,assuredly nature1 who has given to brutes an instinct1 by which to select their aliment1 has not left man without a discriminative power to do the same with equal certainty2 nor does he use his privileges to their full1 or employ his senses as he might1 when he suffers himself to be surpassed by brute animals in their diagnosis of food4 ,,modes ,,of ,,distinguishing4 ,the first thing to know about funguses is1 that in the immense majority of cases they are harmless2 the innoxious and esculent kinds are the rule1 the poisonous the exceptions to it2 in a general way1 it is more easy to say what we should not eat than what we may2 we should never eat any that smell sickly or poisonous4 ,opinions respecting the agreeableness or disagreeableness of an odour1 as of a taste1 may differ2 thus1 in ,france and ,italy 7where the palate seems to us to bribe the judgment of the nose71 it is usual to speak of that of the ,ag4 prunulus as 8perfuming the air20#hf but though the strong peculiar smell exhaled by this and some other esculent funguses is anything but a perfume1 as we apprehend the term1 it is very different from that intolerable ftor1 that nauseous overwhelming odour given out by the ,phallus impudicus1 the ,clathrus cancellatus1 the ,amanita verna1 and its varieties4 ,there are some indeed which1 yielding no smell1 will poison notwithstanding2 but then there are none to lure us into a false security by a deceitful fragrance4 ,the same negative indications are furnished by the palate as by the nose2 those that are bitter1 or styptic1 or that burn the fauces on mastication1 or that parch the throat when they have been swallowed1 should be put aside2 those that yield spiced milk1 of whatever colour1 should be held1 notwithstanding exceptions1 in suspicion1 as an unsafe dairy to deal with4 ,the 8,lucchese ,goat0 7,ag4 piperatus7 and the 8,cow of the ,vosges0 7,ag4 lactifluus aureus71 though in high request in their respective localities1 and really delicate themselves1 are akin to others whose milks1 though they may have the colour of gold1 have the qualities of gamboge4 8----,nescius aur ,fallacis1 ,qui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea60 ,paulet was once so indiscreet as to eat a slice of the ,griper 7,ag4 torminosus71 which belongs to this genus1 and afterwards still more indiscreet in giving it the inviting name of 8,mouton zon20 it is well1 however1 that the reader should be apprised1 as he will frequently come across this #8mouton' in his walks1 that it is a perfect wolf in sheep's clothing1 nor less to be avoided than one nearly allied to it1 which rejoices in the name of necator1 or the slayer4#hg ,here1 as it is a safe rule rather to condemn many that may be innocent than to admit one that is at all suspicious to our confidence1 we should1 till intimacy has made us familiar with the exceptions1 avoid all those the flesh of which is livid1 or that1 chameleon-like1 assume a variety of hues on being broken or bruised4#hh ,the external colour furnishes no certain information--with the single exception of that of the gills in one or two ,agarics--by which to know the good from the bad2 thus1 the 8,boule de ,neige0 and the ,vernal ,amanite are both white2 but the dress1 in one case1 is of innocence1 in the other of mere hypocrisy2 again1 the green1 which we are so cautioned to avoid in this class of plants as chlorotic and unhealthy1 and which is of such bad augury in ,amanita viridis1 is quite the contrary in the ,verdette 7,ag4 virescens74 ,so that to be led only by colour would certainly be to be misled--a mistake which1 in the family of the ,russul1 might readily compromise life4 ,some mycologists recommend1 with certain exceptions1 the avoidance of such ,agarics as have lateral stalks1 of such as are pectinate 7i4 e4 have equal gills1 like a comb71 of such as have little flesh in proportion to the depth of their gills1 and generally1 of all those that are past their prime4 ,some warn us not to eat after the snail1 as we are in the habit of doing in our gardens after the wasp2 we may trust1 it seems1 to him to point out the best greengages1 but not to the slug to select our mushrooms for us4 ,finally1 it has been very currently affirmed1 though ,i think without sufficient warrant1 that all such funguses as run rapidly into deliquescence ought to be avoided as dangerous4 ,here1 while it might be unsafe to lay down any positive rule beyond one's own experience1 this1 so far as it goes1 would rather lead me to a different inference2 and even the reader will ask--,does not the mushroom deliquesce1 and is not ketchup1 that 8poignant liquor made from boiled mushrooms mixed with salt10#hi to which we are all so partial1 this very deliquescence8 ,but1 besides this1 the ,ag4 comatus1 which is highly deliquescent1 is largely eaten about ,lucca2 the ,ag4 atramentarius also is1 on our own authority1 periculo ventris nostri1 as good for ketchup as for that purpose to which its juices are more commonly put1 viz4 for making ink4 ,thus1 amongst deliquescent ,agarics1 there are some the juices of which are both safe and savoury1 perhaps of more than those here recorded2 but as ,i have not hitherto myself made trial of any others1 and as there are some dangerous species mixed up with this group1 the public cannot be too much cautioned against making any rash experiment1 where the consequences of a mistake might be so serious4 ,some trees give origin by preference to good1 others to deleterious species2 thus1 the hazel-nut1 the black and perhaps the white poplar1 together with the fig-tree1 grow only good sorts2 whereas the olive has been famous1 since the days of ,nicander1 for none but poisonous species4 8,the rank in smell1 and those of livid show1 ,all that at roots of oak#ij or olive grow1 ,touch not6 ,but those upon the fig-tree's rind ,securely pluck--a safe and savoury kind60 ,the elm1 the alder1 the larch1 the beech1 and some other trees1 seem capable of supporting both good and bad species at their roots2 hence it is not safe to trust implicitly to the tree to determine the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness of the fungus that grows out of it1 or in its neighbourhood4 ,the presence of a free acid is by no means conclusive either way1 there being many species of both good and bad1 which will indifferently turn litmus-paper red4 ,the old and very general practice adopted by cooks of dressing funguses with a silver spoon 7which is supposed to become tarnished1 then1 only when their juices are of a deleterious quality71 is an error which cannot be too generally known and exposed1 as many lives1 especially on the ,continent1 have been1 and still are1 sacrificed to it annually4 ,in some cases the kitchen-fire will extract the deleterious property from the funguses1 which it would have been unsafe to eat raw1 and frequently the acrid lactescent kinds change their nature entirely and become mild by cooking2 in other cases1 the virus is drawn out by saturating the fungus1 sometimes before dressing it1 either in vinegar or brine1#ia the liquid then containing the poison which was originally in the plant2 but in other species1 as in ,ag4 emeticus1 it would seem from the experiments of ,m4 ,krapf1 of ,vienna1 upon living animals1 that it is to be extracted neither by ebullition nor desiccation4#ib ,the effects produced by the poison of mushrooms are exceedingly various1 that is to say1 the virus itself differs in different species1 both as to kind and1 where that is the same1 as to the degree of its concentration2 it is generally1 however1 of the class called acro-narcotic1 producing inflammatory affections of the intestines1 and exerting a deleterious influence over the whole nervous system4 ,in cases where only a very small quantity has been taken experimentally1 a constriction of the fauces has followed1 and continued for a period varying from some minutes to several hours1 occasioning1 or not1 nausea1 heat1 and1 in some instances1 even pain of the stomach2 8sometimes the affection is entirely confined to the head1 and a stupor or light delirium succeeds the eating of some species1 and continues for two or three days40#ic ,not unfrequently1 as in those cases cited by ,larber1 the symptoms have been altogether those of cholera1 without any cerebral disturbance whatever2 but in other instances that have come to my knowledge1 during a several years' residence on the ,continent1 these have been of a mixed character1#id in which both the head and viscera have participated2 and the autopsies after death have1 in accordance with the symptoms1 shown the stomach and intestines more or less disorganized with the products of inflammation1 together with a congested state of the brain or of its investments1 or a local or general softening of its substance4#ie ,the poison1 as has been said1 exists in very different degrees of intensity in different species4 ,in some1 as the ,amanita verna1 a few grains of the fresh fungus suffice to kill a dog2#if while the ,agaricus muscarius1 though equally fatal in sufficient quantities1 is not nearly so strong4 ,some time in general elapses from the swallowing the poison to that in which its deleterious workings first begin to be felt4 ,i have heard of cases 7similar to those cited in the last note7 of persons who had supped overnight on the meal that was to prove their last1 who have slept1 risen next morning1 gone to work1 and continued working for hours1 before they have been made aware of their condition4 ,when1 however1 the symptoms have once set in1 they become rapidly more and more alarming1 while the chances of arresting or mitigating their excruciating severity lessen every minute4 ,as the evils to be apprehended from the agency of these plants can only be prevented by their instant evacuation1 to assist the disposition to vomit1 or1 if called in early enough1 to anticipate it by the milder emetics in sufficient doses 7surely not by strong ones1 as some have recommended671 and1 when the stomach has been thoroughly evacuated1 to relieve the violence of the pain by bland mucilaginous drinks1 with opiates1 are the indications plainly pointed out1 and the means by which inflammation and subsequent sphacelus of the gut1 as well as the deleterious effects produced on the nervous system by the absorption of the poison into it1 have been occasionally averted2 but should symptoms of great depression be already present 7as too frequently happens before the medical man arrives71 he will endeavour1 in that case1 to rally the vital powers 7scanty though the chances of success will then be7 by small and repeated doses of sulphuric ether and ammonia combined1 or should head symptoms require his interference1 he must in that case bleed4 ,,conditions ,,necessary ,,to ,,their ,,growth4 ,of these1 in fact1 we know but little1 and in the great majority of instances absolutely nothing2 in a few cases moisture#ig and heat seem alone sufficient1 even in our own hands1 to cause some of them to grow2 in others1 electricity appears indispensable4 ,a wet autumn is generally found to be exceedingly prolific in these plants1 with the following notable difference as to kind3 all those that are parasitical on trees show themselves1 during a wet season1 in amount directly varying with that of the previous rain1 irrespective of any other influences conspiring to give this effect2 whilst those1 on the other hand1 which issue from the earth1 when the surface of this has been long chilled or when the electrical state of the air has not been materially modified for some time1 will be found to come up sparingly or not at all1 whatever rain may have fallen4 ,an exception to this rule occurs in the common mushroom1 which1 by the combination of certain degrees of heat and moisture1 may be reared throughout the year without the co-operation of electricity4 ,a variety of plans have been recommended for this purpose1 many of which are both troublesome and expensive2 the following1 taken by ,m4 ,roques from a scientific work on gardening1 and said to be infallible1 has1 if so1 the great advantage of extreme simplicity to recommend it3--8,having observed that all those dunghills which abounded chiefly in sheep- or cow-droppings1 began shortly to turn mouldy on their surface and to bear mushrooms1 ,i collected a quantity of this manure1 which1 so soon as it began to turn white1 ,i strewed lightly over some melon-beds and some spring crops of vegetables1 and obtained in either case1 and as often as ,i repeated the experiment1 a ready supply of excellent mushrooms1 which came up from a month to six weeks after the dung had been so disposed of2 but as an equable temperature is in all cases desirable to render the result certain1 where this cannot be secured under the protection of glass1 the next best plan is to scatter a portion of the above dungs mixed with a little earth in a cave or cellar1 to which some tan is an excellent addition2 for tan1 though it kills other vegetable growths1 has quite an opposite effect on funguses40 ,next to the common mushroom1 in regard to the success attending its cultivation1 comes that of the ,pietra funghaia1 a plant unknown to ,clusius1 but described by ,mathiolus and ,imperato1 under the name of the #8stony fungus4' ,cesalpinus has added to their accounts1 directions for procuring it the whole year through1 which1 he says1 is to be done either by irrigating the soil over the site of the stone1 or by transferring the ,pietra funghaia with a portion of the original mould1 and watering it in our own garden4 ,porta adds1 that the funguses take seven days to come to perfection1 and may be gathered from the naked block 7where this has been properly moistened7 six times a year2 but in preference to merely watering the blocks1 he recommends that a light covering of garden mould should be first thrown over them4 ,the ,pietra funghaia1 though its range of territory be extremely small1 lies embedded in a variety of soils1 in consequence of which its ,polyporus1 like our own mushroom1 is very various in flavour1 depending on the kind of humus in which its matrix happens to be placed4 ,those that grow on the high grounds above ,sorrento1 and on the sides of ,vesuvius1 are in less esteem than such as are brought into the ,naples market from the mountains of ,apulia4#ih ,a third fungus1 which we have the means of producing ad libitum1 is that which sprouts from the pollard head of the black poplar2#ii these heads it is usual to remove at the latter end of autumn1 as soon as the vintage is over1 and their marriage with the vine is annulled2 hundreds of such heads are then cut and transported to different parts2 they are abundantly watered during the first month1 and in a short time produce that truly delicious fungus1 ,agaricus caudicinus1 the ,pioppini1 which1 during the autumn of the year1 make the greatest show in many of the ,italian market-places4 ,these pollard blocks continue to bear1 for from twelve to fourteen years2 ,i saw a row of them in the botanic garden at ,naples1 which1 after this period1 were still productive1 though less frequently1 and of fewer ,agarics at a crop4 ,the practice of rearing funguses from the poplar is not modern2 ,dioscorides knew1 for he tells us that if we 8bark the white or black poplar1 cutting the bark into pieces and covering it with horse-dung1 an excellent kind of fungus will spring up1 and continue to bear throughout the year30 by way of comment to which passage ,mathiolus adds1 that a little leaven#ajj will produce an abundant crop in four days4 ,another fungus1 which ,i have myself reared 7,polyporus avellanus71 is to be procured by singeing over a handful of straw a block of the cob-nut tree1 which is then to be watered and put by4 ,in about a month the funguses make their appearance1 which are quite white1 of from two to three inches in diameter1 and excellent to eat2 while their profusion is sometimes so great1 as entirely to hide the wood from which they spring4#aja ,dr4 ,thore says1 that in the ,landes1 the ,boletus edulis and ,ag4 procerus are constantly raised by the inhabitants of that district1 from a watery infusion of the said plants2 that something more than this1 however1 is necessary1 seems certain1 since during the two or three years during which ,i frequented the baths of ,lucca1 and was in the habit of using infusions of these and a variety of other funguses1 often throwing them over the very spots where each kind grew1 my experiments never succeeded4 ,nor was ,dr4 ,puccinelli1 of ,lucca1 who repeated similar experiments in the botanic garden there1 much more successful4 ,briganti1 of ,naples1 told me much the same story2 and ,sanguinetti at ,rome was equally unsuccessful with ,ottaviani at ,urbino4 ,on making inquiry of friends in ,england who have attempted to propagate different kinds of funguses1 either by infusion or otherwise1 their attempts generally failed4 ,my friend ,mrs4 ,hussey1 in particular1 acquaints me that she has been in the habit of subjecting many plants to a like experiment1 and with similar want of result4 ,lastly1 as concerning truffles1 ,mr4 ,bornholtz has given directions how to rear them1 which1 as they are exceedingly expensive and troublesome1 must needs be infallible to secure proselytes1 even among the most sworn amateurs of these delicacies4 8,prepare your ground10 says he1 8with oak leaves in decay2 you must also mix some iron with it and take care to make it of a proper consistence1 either by adding sand1 should it be too compact1 or clay1 should it be of too light a nature2 having then with great care transplanted your truffles1 7which must be properly packed with a quantity of the original mould about them17 they are to be placed tenderly in the new settlement1 covered over lightly with mould1 and this again is to be covered with boughs of oak and ,carpinus ,betulus to protect the deposit from molestation2 neither must you consider your work completed till a sacred grove of these particular trees has been planted round it1 which must be done with such precaution1 that while they keep the precious ground in a perpetual twilight1 they must not obstruct it too much1 but leave a certain free passage to the air40 ,after which injunctions1 if they be carefully attended to1 ,mr4 ,b4 assures us that we can reckon1 without fear of disappointment1 on a dish of truffles1 whenever we may want them for ourselves or our friends4 ,,fairy ,,rings4 ,we know as little of the origin of fairy-rings1 as of any other phenomenon connected with the growth of funguses4 ,these fairy-rings are of all sizes1 from one and a half to thirty feet in diameter2 the grass composing them is observed in spring1 to be of a thicker growth than the surrounding herbage1 and1 in consequence of the manure afforded by the crop of last year1 is of a darker colour4 ,within these rings are frequently seen certain varieties of this class of plants1 very generally ,agarics1 though puff-balls frequently1 and occasionally the ,boletus subtomentosus1 affect a similar mode of growth4 ,of the ,agarics which appear in these circles1 some of the principal are ,agaricus oreades1 ,ag4 prunulus1 ,ag4 ,orcella1 ,ag4 ,georgii1 ,ag4 personatus1 and ,ag4 campestris4 ,as all these feed at the expense of the grass1 7by exhausting the ground that would otherwise have furnished it with the necessary supplies17 the richest vegetation in the field is generally the first to become seared4 ,these rings 7giving birth to some one species which1 dying1 is not unfrequently succeeded by another a little later1 and this perhaps by a third1 in the same order of occurrence7 continue to enlarge their boundaries for a long but indefinite period4 ,it seems not easy to determine precisely1 to the operation of what cause or causes the increase in the size of these circles from year to year should be attributed4 ,is it the projectile force with which the spores are disseminated all round1 that has carried them so uniformly beyond the margin of the last ring as to form a concentric circle for the next of larger diameter beyond8 ,or is the cause to be sought underground1 in the general spread of the spawn of last year in all directions outwards1 but only fertile in a concentric ring beyond the site of the last crop1 which had already exhausted the ground1 and so rendered it incapable of supporting any new vegetable life8 ,or do both these causes conspire in this result8 ,the quantity of spawn and of the spores necessarily contained in it1 and the depth to which they penetrate under the surface of the soil1 renders the possibility of their spreading in the latter way easily conceivable4#ajb ,,on ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,funguses4 8,ins ,innre der ,natur dringt kein erschaffner ,geist1 ,zu glcklich wem sie nur die ussre ,schale lsst40--,haller4 ,it would be an insult to the reader's understanding1 and a most idle waste of his time1 to attempt to confute such self-destroying dogmas as those of 8spontaneous0 or of 8equivocal0 generation1 which last is only a clumsy quivoque expressive of the same thing3 we might just as well talk of the pendulum of a clock generating the time and space in which it librated1 as of dead matter spontaneously quickening and actuating those new movements of which some of its particles have become the seat2 for how1 in the name of common sense1 can that which we assume to be dead1 i4 e4 emphatically and totally without life1 convey such purely vital phenomena as those of intus-susception and growth1 which by the very supposition are no longer within itself8 ,life1 on such an hypothesis as this1 ceases to be the opposite and antagonist principle to death1 of which it then becomes but a different mode and a new phasis4 ,it is not the incomprehensibility of such a notion 7be it well understood7 against which the objection lies1 for as life begins and ends in mystery1 that would be no objection2 it lies in the rashness of attempting to solve an admitted mystery1 by placing a palpable absurdity in its room2 vainly and irreverently arrogating to itself the honours of a discovery which we are to believe if we can6 ,at this rate1 addled eggs1 abandoned by the vital principle1 might take to hatching themselves6 ,a more legitimate and very interesting subject for inquiry is1 whether those funguses which are parasitical 7i4 e4 derive their support from the structures whence they emanate7 are so many separate constituents of a superior life under analysis1 or each of itself a new individual8 ,in support of the first view1 it is urged that since reproduction in such lower existences is nothing but a modification of nutrition1 a new process might well originate from its perversion1 and thus give rise to new products2 and just as the change in the ordinary nutrition of our bodily organs is prone to give birth to various local disorganizations or morbid growths1 such1 it is argued1 might be the origin of fungoid growth on trees4 ,but then comes the difficulty3 such a view does not1 and plainly cannot1 explain the development of the not parasitical kinds1 of which the origin should be the same2 no1 nor even of all that live by suction at the expense of other plants1 since there are as many kinds which quicken in dead and decaying structures1 as there are that issue out of decrepit and living ones2 here1 then1 it is plain that perverted nutrition can have nothing to do with their production1 for in this case nutrition has1 by the supposition1 ceased2 and to talk of disease after death would be a strange figure of speech indeed6 ,an elm or oak is frequently dead five1 seldom less than three1 years before these parasitical growths make their appearance1 from which it would appear to follow that seeds are not developed by1 but that they must be extraneous to1 and independent of1 any pathological relation of the plant from which they grow4 ,if then fungus life be not to be sought for1 and cannot with propriety be said to originate in any morbid conditions of the tissues from which they spring1 whence do they derive life--in other words1 whence in every instance comes that particular seed which1 when quickened1 is to produce after its kind8 ,lies this dormant for a season in those dead and decaying tissues1 which a little later the plant originating from it is destined to embellish2 or is the living germ first brought to them by the winds1 and merely deposited on their surface1 as in a fitting nidus on which their future development is to be effected8 ,some writers take one view1 some another4 ,many believe the seeds of funguses to come directly from the earth1#ajc and to be drawn up with the sap1 which1 as it penetrates throughout the tissues of the plant1 must carry the seeds also along with it4 ,that such is actually sometimes the case is certain1 since we can not only plant parasitical blights of a particular kind so as to infect particular plants1 but may also by digging a trench between those that have already become diseased1 and those that are still healthy1 stay the progress of the blight--thus clearly establishing not only the fact of seeds1 but also the highly interesting additional one1 of their ascent into the structures of plants by intus-susception2 and to arrive at a general view from these particular cases1 this would seem to be the usual mode of their propagation4 ,neither does it make against this view nor is it more in favour of the other1 which supposes the germs to be derived primarily from the air1 and to be thence precipitated on the structures where they grow1 that funguses are found on organizations in decay1 on withered boughs1 and on seared leaves1 out of which all sap must of course have been long ago exsiccated2 for what then8 though the sap does1 the seeds do not1 evaporate with it4 ,these1 once absorbed and diffused during the lifetime of the plant throughout its whole economy1 remain there in a state of potential activity1 ready to burst forth and germinate whenever the necessary conditions for these wonderful changes shall be presented to them1 just as though the seeds of corn now flourishing in different parts of ,england1 had first existed for some thousand years as mummy wheat1 potentially and unquickened4 ,nothing perishes in nature3 8destructio unius matrix alterius20 life may change titles1 but never becomes extinct2 so soon as the more perfect plant dies1 a host of other vegetable existences1 hitherto enthralled by laws of an organization superior to their own1 now that the connection has been dissevered1 put forth their separate energies1 and severally assert their independence4 ,the poplar may have perished1 root1 stem1 and branch1 but its extinction is only the signal for other existences1 which had been heretofore bound up and hid within its own1 to assert themselves2 and accordingly a ,polyporus sprouts out here2 here a ,thelephora embellishes the dead bark2 and here an ,agaric springs out of the decaying fibres of its head3 these in turn also decay1 but as they moulder away they languish into a new kind of fungous life1 of an inferior type to the last1 as if their own vitality were inferior in kind to that of the decayed poplar1 whence they lately issued4#ajd ,thus1 since the seeds of funguses actually exist in great quantity in other plants1 and since they occur in the closed interior of fruits and in corollas which are still in their envelopes 7in either case out of the reach of the external air72 since finally1 the ,pietra funghaia1 which produces a ,polyporus unknown to ,england1 may be1 notwithstanding1 made to germinate in ,england by furnishing the stone with adequate supplies of water and of heat1 that seems the more tenable hypothesis of the two1 which1 in every case1 supposes the nidus of the fungus to furnish the seed1 and the atmosphere1 the conditions necessary for its quickening4 ,how the seed is first made to quicken is another and most interesting question1 still evolved in mystery4 ,as there is no ocular evidence to be obtained of the usual organs of sex1 some mycologists have separated funguses from the family of the clandestinely married ,cryptogamia1 to place them with the ,agamia1 which repudiate the marriage tie2#aje but as every argument from ignorance is unsafe1 7and such would appear to be particularly the case here1 when we consider how many things undoubtedly exist1 which the imperfection of lenses and the circumscribed power of the eye prevent our seeing17 we should rather make use of what is displayed to us in the economy of other plants1 in the way of analogy as applied to these1 than deny what is likely1 merely because it is not an object of sense4 ,it would appear then1 from what has been stated1 that certain funguses are produced like other plants1 from seeds2 and more likely at least1 in the parasitic kinds1 that such seeds are derived by the plant which supports them from the ground1 than deposited from the atmosphere4 ,before we proceed to the description of species1 a few more words remain to be said about these spores1 and a brief notice to be taken of those parts that are essential to all1 and more especially of such as are characteristic of those higher forms of funguses which are the more immediate subject of the present work4 ,,spores ,,or ,,seeds4 ,all funguses have not seeds1--at least1 seeds apparent to us2#ajf but if we reflect that these1 even where visible1 can do no more than present to our senses the visible tabernacle of that life which is still invisible1 and which1 not being material1 must ever elude our search1#ajg then it will not appear so difficult to conceive that the apparently seedless threads of some particular moulds should include1 in their interior1 vital germs of some sort1 which1 being homogeneous with1 or of the same colour as1 the parenchyma of the mould itself1 are invisible--just as we know them to be for a season in puff-balls1 in the veins of truffles1 or in the ,agyrium1 the receptacle of which last breaks up1 when ripe1 into sporidia1 which then and not till then become manifest4 ,the seeds of funguses are called spores3 in the great majority of cases1 the microscope1 which brings their shapes under observation 7for to the naked eye they appear as dust71 presents them to us as round1 oval1 oblong1 or even angular corpuscules1 and1 more rarely still1 echinulate or with a tail4 ,they are as various in size as in shape1 the first bearing no proportion whatever to the dimensions of the future plant4 ,they vary1 too1 greatly in colour1 being sometimes of a pure white1 and continuing so throughout the whole of their seminal existence2 at other times1 the white acquires a yellow tinge on drying4 ,some are brown1 some yellow1 some pink1 some purple1 some purple-black1 and some pass successively from pink to purple1 and from purple to purple-black4#ajh ,these seeds or spores are sometimes naked1 but are much more commonly shut up in little pouches or receptacles1 either of a regular or of an irregular shape2 the first are called thec1 the latter sporanges2 thec 7which are in shape similar to the cases of the same name that used to receive the ancient 1 or scrolls7 are small1 cylindrical bodies1 in which the seeds lie one over the other1 as in a rouleau2 they are themselves let into a receptacle 7or that part of the fungus the office of which is to receive and support the reproductive organs7 in a regular and symmetrical manner1 and at length occupy it completely4 ,not all are prolific2 for some1 pressing upon others1 cause them to abort1 leaving wherever this happens1 sterile thec1 or paraphyses1 between those that are fertile4 ,sporanges are little globose or turbinated receptacles1 frequently furnished with a pedicle1 in which the seeds lie without order1 as they are themselves inserted symmetrically1 or without order1 into the receptacle4 ,sometimes these seeds are packed in series of fours1 as in the fimetary ,agarics2 in other genera1 as in the ,helvell and ,morels1 they are stored away in series of eights4 ,the spores1 so soon as they are ripe1 either drop out of the sporiferous membrane 7hymenium71 or1 as more frequently happens1 are projected from it with an elastic jerk1 or else1 as is the case of ,agarics of a deliquescent kind1 return to the earth mixed up with the black liquid into which these ultimately resolve themselves4 ,sometimes the whole external surface of the fungus is dusted with seed2 but much more frequently they are restricted to some particular part1 and either lie on the upper side1 as in the ,peziz1 or on that which is beneath1 as in the mushroom4 ,the spores generally lie on the outside of the fungus1 but in the puff-ball1 as every one knows1 they are internal1 and in such prodigious quantity as sometimes entirely to fill its cavity4 ,it is a speculation from ,germany1 that spores are capable of altering their forms1 and that according to the accidents of climate or soil1 they assume this or that type1 and give rise at different times to different kinds of funguses2 on which it is sufficient to remark1 that while there is not the least foundation for such an hypothesis1 there is in fact much evidence against it2 nature acts by immutable laws and has no changelings4 ,to appeal to experience1 when did mushrooms ever spawn toadstools8 ,when was the ,pietra funghaia ever seen to bring forth anything but its own ,polyporus8 or the fig1 the poplar1 or the hazel 7when singed and watered to render them prolific7 exhibit any but their own particular mushroom8 ,spores are endowed1 like other seeds1 with an extraordinary vitality1 which may lie dormant in them for an indefinite period2 but unlike most other seeds1 they seem capable of resisting the prolonged heat of boiling water1 infused in which1 and poured upon the ground1 they are still capable of producing each after its kind4 ,the specific gravity of spores is greater than that of water1 as may be seen by placing a mushroom over a glass which contains it1 when1 falling upon the surface1 they presently subside to the bottom4 ,these spores sometimes merely multiply without any further progress in development2 sometimes they proceed a certain way only1 and then1 the conditions necessary for their further advance failing1 this is arrested2 sometimes1 as in the ,sistotrema1 the plant appears twice under a perfect form1 being for part of its existence a ,hydnum1 and during the other half a ,boletus2 but1 generally speaking1 these minute corpuscular bodies are destined to receive an infinite variety of protean and imperfect forms1 and to pass stage by stage1 and step by step1 to the full attainment of that ultimate one which they assume when their growth has reached its natural limits4 ,sometimes the spore expands outright into a puff-ball2 sometimes it shoots up straight into a club1 as in some of the ,clavarias2 or lies like a bowl1 resupinate on the ground and stalkless1 as in the ,peziza2 in other cases1 it assumes the more perfect but much less simple forms of ,chanterelle1 ,boletus1 ,ddalea1 ,morel1 or ,mushroom4 ,,development ,,of ,,seeds4 ,the mode in which the organs immediately containing the seeds are formed1 differs according to the family4 ,in the tribe of puff-balls1 where the seed is formed in the interior of the fungus1 there is no hymenium2 a few of the internal cells 7when the ,lycoperdon has attained its full size7 begin to enlarge1 and these in a short time are found to contain small granules1 generally of a determinate number1 and moistened by a fluid secreted from within the walls4 ,in such funguses as have an hymenium it is only some of the superficial cells1 and these in a particular position in reference to the receptacle1 that contain seeds2 though perfect identity of structure throughout1 is evinced in a conclusive manner if we invert the head of a young fungus on its stalk2 for then these thec begin to form and to fill themselves with seed1 not on the side where they were about to do so previous to this inversion of the head1 but on that which was the uppermost and sterile surface1 and which1 now that it is the undermost1 has become prolific4 ,the expansion of a fungus1 according to ,vittadini1 is effected as follows3--8,these thec10 of which we have been speaking1 8as they swell1 become distended with the contained seed1 and mostly so at their free extremity1 since they have more room for expansion in that direction than at the other1 which is impacted into the substance of the pileus2 in consequence of this1 a series of wedges are formed which1 as the seed continues to distend them1 force out the pileus1 loosen its marginal connections with the stalk1 uncurl its involuted borders1 and finally open up its cells1 pores1 and sinuses40#aji ,in those subterranean funguses which mature their seeds below the surface of the ground1 the lower portion1 so soon as this is accomplished in the upper1 suddenly takes to grow upwards1 carrying along with it the bag1 which1 on reaching the surface of the ground1 bursts its envelopes and scatters its prolific dust to the winds4 ,all funguses1 as has already been observed1 have in all probability spores1 though in a few instances1 of byssoid growths1 7,hyphas1 ,himantias1 and thelias17 these are not apparent2 in most cases too1 they are attached to an hymenium1 into which1 or on the surface of which1 they are placed till ripe4 ,one very large tribe1 by far the largest1 are called ,hymenomycetes1 from 1 a membrane1 and 1 a fungus2 i4 e4 funguses with a seed membrane3 to distinguish them from those other kinds1 very small numerically in proportion to themselves1 ,gasteromycetes1 in which the seeds1 arranged and stored away in particular receptacles1 named sporanges or thec1 are with them included in the belly 77 of the fungus1 as is the case in truffles and puff-balls4 ,the hymenium1 like that curiously doubled-down sheet of paper which conjurors turn into so many shapes1 assumes a great variety of forms2 running down the gills of the mushrooms and the plaits of the ,cantharellus1 up into the tubes of the ,boletuses2 sheathing the vegetable teeth of ,hydna1 forming an intricate labyrinth of anastomosing plates in ,ddalea2 now rising into little rough eminences on the surface of the ,thelephor1 and now affording a smooth investment to that of the ,clavari4 ,it is covered with a veil1 which disappears so soon as the spores begin to ripen1 and its protection is no longer required2 seen under the microscope1 it appears to be wholly made up of thec4 ,,successive ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,spores4 ,when the spore is to cease to be a spore1 and to become a mushroom1 the first thing it does is to send forth certain cotton-like filaments1 whose interfacings entangle it completely while they also serve to attach it to the place of its birth2 these threads 7like the spongioles attached to the roots of phnogamous plants1 whose name sufficiently explains their office7 absorb and bring nourishment to the quickened spore1 which then maintains itself entirely by intus-susception4 ,all this takes place before the germ has burst1 or the embryo fungus begun to develope its organs4 ,in some instances1 these elementary threads are1 like the ordinary roots of plants1 spread out to a considerable distance underground1 forming here and there in their course small bulbs or tubercles1 each of which1 in turn1 becomes a new individual2 in others1 and more commonly1 these spores are sprinkled about unconnectedly1 as in the ,pietra funghaia1 affecting certain spots only1 which become so many small matrices whereof each furnishes a crop4 ,the union of many germinating granules together with their connecting threads1 constitutes mushroom spawn1 or1 as it is technically called1 carcytes4#aaj ,examined a short time after quickening1 the spore is found to have swelled out into a fleshy kernel2 which in puff-balls1 truffles1 and the uterine subterranean families generally1 constitutes of itself the whole fungus2 this only grows in size afterwards1 the substance and original form remaining the same through the entire period of development4 ,in those destined to live under the influence of air and light1 this same rudimental nucleus gradually evolves new parts1 and assumes1 as we have seen1 a vast variety of forms1 7whereof each particular one is predetermined by the original bias imprinted upon every spore at its creation17 and here there is a manifest analogy with the progressive development of new parts in the higher plants4 ,in such funguses as are wrapped up in a volva or bag1 during the earliest period of growth1 this furnishes them not only with the means of protection1 but of nourishment also4 ,this volva1 which is formed by the mere swelling out of the original fleshy bulb1 when it has grown to a certain size1 exhibits towards its centre the rudiments of the young fungus2 of which the receptacle appears first1 and all the other parts in succession4 ,the embryo1 next taking to grow1 in its turn approaches the circumference of the volva1 which1 having by this time ceased to expand1 is burst open1 and sometimes with much violence1 by the emerging ,amanite4 ,as soon as the hymenium has parted with its seed1 which falls from it in the form of fine dust1 the fungus1 collapsing1 either withers on its stem1 or else dissolves into a black liquid and so escapes to the earth4 ,in such funguses as have not a volva1 the basilar or primary nucleus shoots up at once in the form of a cone1 and a little later presents at its apex the rudiments of a receptacle or head2 by degrees1 and frequently by slow degrees1#aaa the perfected structures of the plant are elaborated and spread themselves out into some of the forms mentioned above1 of which the clavate is the most simple1 and that with gills the most complex4 ,the primary nucleus is formed out of simple cellular membrane1 the cells of which1 at first elongating1 and at length uniting into little bundles1 assume a fibrous appearance2 sometimes these fascicular bodies effuse themselves unchanged into the substance of the receptacle1 in which they spread out and are lost2 at others1 a transverse line makes the demarcation between the pileus and stem4#aab ,the last part formed in a fungus1 generally1 is that which bears the seed2 and whenever an exception to this occurs1 and the seed is formed at an earlier period than usual1 nature has in this case provided three membranes1 to cover and protect these delicate organs till the plant shall have attained maturity3 these are the ring 7annulus71 the veil 7velum71 and the wrapper 7volva74 ,,of ,,the ,,annulus1 ,,the ,,velum1 ,,and ,,the ,,volva4 ,of these involucra the first two are partial1 the other universal4 ,the ,volva is a thick membranaceous covering1 originating at the base of the fungus1 which it thus connects with the earth1 and furnishes1 during its ftal life1 with the means of support and nourishment4 ,when this has ceased1 and the plant has quitted its wrapper1 if this still adhere to the base of the stalk1 it is styled manifest 7manifesta71 but if there be no traces of it left1 obliterated 7obliterata74 ,it is free when it can be easily detached1 and congenital when it cannot without laceration4 ,in funguses with bulbous roots it is congenital1 in those without bulbs it is free4 ,all funguses that have a volva are of course volvati1 but as this organ exists in many only so long as they are underground1 mycologists are agreed to restrict the term to such alone as retain it afterwards4 ,the ,ring4--,this1 which differs considerably in form1 substance1 and in its attachments1 is composed either of a continuous sheet of membrane or else of a number of delicately-spun threads1 resembling a spider's web1#aac which in either case passing from the margin of the pileus to the corresponding upper portion of the stem1 give way as the plant expands1 and either festoon for a season the margin of the cap1 or encircle the stalk with a ring4 ,the marginal remains of the ,annulus are extremely fugacious1 but the ring round the stalk1 though generally transitory1 is sometimes persistent2 it is superior or descending when originating from the summit of the stem1 it descends outwards and downwards to form connections with the rim of the pileus2 inferior or ascending when1 coming off from that portion of the stalk which is below the pileus1 it ascends to attach itself to this4 ,in a few cases the ring is partly membranaceous and partly composed of radiating arachnoid threads4 ,the ,veil4--,some funguses not only present the ring just mentioned1 their hymenium or seed membrane being further protected from harm by a second investment1 the veil1 ,velum1 the stalk origin of which1 when existing in conjunction with an annulus1 is below it1 but when the fungus is not annulate1 the velum rises higher up on the stalk1 stretches across to meet and is afterwards reflected over the whole surface of the pileus2 on the expansion of the ,agaric this investment is entirely broken up1 and exhibits those well-known flocks1 which have been called by the learned verruc1 but which1 as they are generally of a dirty leprous hue1 and affect more or less of a circular arrangement1 have procured for this whole tribe of ,amanites in ,italy the uncomely epithet of tignosi1 or scald-heads4 ,where there has been both a volva and a velum1 as sometimes happens in the same fungus1 these verruc are of different colours according as they are remnants of the first merely1 or of both together4#aad ,the velum in the subgenus ,limacium is a slimy coating adhering to the head of the fungus1 which then looks as if it had been dipped in gum mucilage2 this generally disappears after a time1 leaving the epidermis dry1 though sometimes1 like the solid membranaceous veil1 it is more or less persistent4 ,the waxy covering on the pileus of the ,ag4 virescens1 which after a time cracks and tessellates its surface1 is only an exudation limited to the upper portion of the cap1 and not a veil4 ,the ,stalk4--,this1 which is absent in many parasitical funguses of the ,order ,pileati1 when present1 either effuses itself uninterruptedly into the substance of the pileus1 which it then1 in fact1 forms1 or else supports merely as on a pillar1 a distinct line of demarcation showing where the fibres terminate4 ,it assumes a great variety of forms1 which serve in many instances to characterize species2 besides which peculiarities there are others to be noted1 as the mode of its insertion into the pileus1 its having or not having a ring1 the circumstance of its being scabrous1 glossy1 or tomentose1 reticulated1 spotted1 or striped1 of one colour above and another below1 or of its changing colour when bruised1 any of which may sometimes assist our diagnosis4 ,the ,pileus4--,by far the larger number of funguses mentioned in this work have a pileus1 or cap2 all such belong to the first great tribe ,pileati2 they include the genera ,agaricus1 ,boletus1 ,cantharellus1 ,morchella1 ,hydnum1 ,fistulina1 and ,polyporus1 each of which furnishes its quota of alimentary species1 together with many others not esculent4 ,the form of the pileus1 like that of the stalk1 is various in these different genera1 besides being variable in the different species of the same genus2 generally it assumes an orbicular or umbrella shape1 especially in such funguses as grow solitary on the ground1 whilst in others1 parasitical on trees1 7particularly when they have no stalk17 it is more or less of a half-hemisphere4 ,the ,gills4--,those vertical plates on the under surface of the mushroom1 which radiate from the centre to the circumference1 like the spokes of a wheel1 are called ,gills 7lamell72 they are not formed1 as some have supposed1 of layers of the reduplicated seed-membrane alone1 but by a prolongation of the fibres of the pileus1 which these merely invest4 ,the fibrous structure is most apparent in ,agarics with thick gills2 in those where the flesh changes colour when bruised2 or where1 the interposed flesh remaining white1 the hymenium is tinged with the colour of the ripening spores4 ,in those funguses which have little flesh the upper surface of the pileus1 especially towards the circumference1 is frequently furrowed with transverse sulci2 these are occasioned by the sinking in of the epidermis along with the fibres of the flesh between the layers of the hymenium1 and consequently their position always corresponds precisely to that occupied by the backs of the gills4 ,the end nearest the stalk is termed posterior 7postica71 the opposite extremity anterior 7antica72 the terminations of the lesser gills take place at various distances short of the stalk1 which the perfect gills reach1 and down which they sometimes course or are decurrent 7decurrentes72 they are said to be adnate 7adnat7 when connected at their posterior end2 free 7liber7 when they do not adhere2 remote 7remot7 when they terminate at a certain distance from the stem2 emarginate 7emarginat7 when they are obtusely notched or hollowed out posteriorly2 denticulate 7denticulat7 when connected by means of a tooth2 equal 7quales7 when all of the same length2 forked 7furcat7 and branched 7ramos7 when they divide in their course1 once1 or more frequently1 or are connected at the sides with the imperfect gills2 dedalean 7ddale7 when they anastomose irregularly together2 simple 7simplices7 when they are free from all connections2 distant 7distantes7 when they are few and wide apart2 close 7confert7 when they are very numerous and touch each other2 serrated 7serrat7 when notched like a saw2 waved 7undulat7 when the margin is undulating2 and imbricating 7imbricat7 when they lie one over another1 like tiles4 ,the ,tubes4--,funguses of the genus ,boletus1 etc41 present on their under surface1 in place of gills1 series of small hollow cylinders or tubes2 which are for the most part soldered side to side like the cells of a honeycomb1 but in the ,fistulina are unconnected4 ,like the gills1 they are prolongations of the fibres of the pileus1 but lined1 instead of coated1 by the hymenium2 their free extremities are the pores1 which at first are closed1 but afterwards open to let the seed escape3 they are generally of equal length and simple1 but sometimes in the interior of a large one smaller tubes may be discerned1 in which case the first is termed compound4 ,with reference to the stalk1 they are either adnate or decurrent1 they first appear as a network formed by slight prominences of the fibres of the pileus2 if at this early period a portion be removed together with a piece of the flesh1 it is reproduced in a few days and the tubes developed as usual4 ,the beautiful reticulations observed on the stalk of some ,boletuses are produced by abortive tubes decurrent along their surface4 ,the ,plaits3 ,ven1 ,plic4--,the plaits of the ,chanterelle are formed like the gills and tubes of the mushroom and ,boletus1 i4 e4 by the fibres of the flesh running down from the pileus1 and invested in a reduplication of the hymenium2 with this difference1 however1 that while in the two latter the seed membrane is divided into as many portions as there are gills or tubes1 in the former the continuity of its surface is perfectly unbroken4 ,these plaits 7plic7 are always late in appearing1 and sometimes are only developed when the fungus is about to cast its seed4 ,the ,spines3 ,aculei1 etc4--,the under surface of the pileus in the genus ,hydnum is shagged with vegetable spines or teeth 7dentes1 aculei7 of unequal lengths1 generally isolated1 but sometimes connected at the base1 and formed originally out of a congeries of minute papill invested by the hymenium1 which gradually elongate their fibres and assume this form4 ,light seems essential to their production1 for if a ,hydnum grow in the dark1 the teeth shrink up into long threads and are sterile4 ,,methodical ,,distribution ,,of ,,the ,,british ,,esculent ,,funguses4 ,the primary division of ,funguses into ,hymenomycetes and ,gasteromycetes is founded upon the position of their seed1 which lies1 as we have seen1 externally in the first1 and internally in the members of the second4 ,the funguses described in the present work belong chiefly to the first division1 ,hymenomycetes2 to ,tribe #a1 ,pileati2 and many of them to ,genus #a1 ,agaricus4 ,this genus includes a great variety of species1 and is distinguished from all other genera by having a fleshy pileus furnished underneath with gills1 which are placed at right angles to the stem4 ,some species1 during their infancy1 are enclosed either in one or more membranes4 ,,division ,i4 ,,hymenomycetes4 ,,tribe #a4 ,,pileati4 ,,genus #a4 ,,agaricus4 ,old words in ,natural ,history seldom become obsolete1 but they change their meanings strangely4 ,were ,dioscorides and ,pliny redivivi1 they would find nothing but misnomers6 ,the term ,agaricus1 which anciently applied indiscriminately to all hard coriaceous funguses growing on trees 7while the word ,fungus did imperfect duty for this genus71 was next arbitrarily made by ,linnus to stand representative for such only as had gills1 8fungi lamellati terrestres et arborei40#aae ,persoon1 again1 under the name ,amanita 7a ,galenic word1 but hitherto unappropriated71 made a new genus of such ,agarics as were invaginated1 i4 e4 shut up during the earlier period of their development in a volva2 of such as had veins in place of gills1 ,merulius2 and of such as had anastomosing gills formed another1 ,ddalea1 a third division4 ,more recently1 ,fries has greatly simplified the study of this very large and difficult genus by eliminating all of a coriaceous texture1 and 7having restored to it the genus ,amanita7 by then dividing the whole into sections2 enabling us to arrive at an accuracy in the discrimination of species which was wholly unattainable before his time4 ,his first grand series of ,agarics comprehends those of white spores 7,,leucospori#aaf71 and of this his first section is-- ,subgenus #a4 ,,amanita4#aag ,all the ,agarics belonging to this subgenus are1 during the immaturity of the fungus1 furnished with a volva and a ring2 some have a velum in addition1 and in this case1 the surface of the pileus is covered with warts1 or verruc4 ,this natural division was adopted long ago by ,micheli1 who gave the name ,uovoli to those which had only the first two1 and that of ,tignosi to those that had all three4 ,altogether they form but a very small group1 but one very important to distinguish accurately1 as it includes1 besides one or two very delicate species1 some which are highly poisonous4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus at first campanulate1 then plane2 fleshy towards the centre1 attenuated at the margin2 gills ventricose1 narrow behind1 free1 numerous1 at length denticulate1 the imperfect ones few1 of a determinate form according to the kind1 and1 with one exception 7that of ,ag4 ,csareus71 white4 ,stalk generally enlarged at the base1 frequently bulbous1 solid1 or stuffed with a cotton-like substance1 which is at length absorbed2 ring descending1 imperfect1 fugacious2 flesh white1 unchanging4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 vaginatus4 ,of the ,tignosi1 that is1 those with warts on their surface1 some have striated margins1 others are without stri4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 rubescens4 ,subgenus #b4 ,,lepiota4#aah ,bot4 ,char4 ,volva fugacious1 veil single1 universal1 closely adhering to and confluent with the epidermis1 when burst forming a more or less persistent ring towards the middle of the stem2 stem hollow1 stuffed more or less densely with fine arachnoid threads1 thickened at the base1 fibrillose2 pileus fleshy1 not compact1 ovate when young1 soon campanulate1 then expanded and umbonate1 more or less shagged with scales2 flesh white1 soft1 sometimes changing colour2 gills free1 unequal1 white1 never decurrent4 ,solitary1 persistent1 autumnal funguses1 growing on the ground4 ,not dangerous4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 procerus1 ,ag4 excoriatus4 ,subgenus #c4 ,,armillaria4#aai ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil single1 partial1 forming a persistent ring1 which in the unexpanded plant is joined to the margin of the pileus2#abj stem solid1 firm1 subfibrillose1 unequal2 pileus fleshy1 convex1 expanded1 obtuse2 epidermis entire1 even in the scaly species1 and not continuous with the fibres of the ring2 flesh white and firm2 gills broad1 unequal1 somewhat acute behind4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 melleus 7874 ,subgenus #d4 ,,limacium4#aba ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #e4 ,,tricholoma4#abb ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil fibrous or floccose1 fugacious2 stalk generally solid1 firm1 fleshy1 attenuated upwards1 scaly1 fibrillose or striate2 pileus fleshy1 compact1 campanulate or depressed1 convex2 margin attenuated1 at first involute1 shagged with woolly fibres or lanugo2 gills unequal1 obtuse behind1 emarginate2 flesh white and unchangeable4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 prunulus and ,ag4 personatus4#abc ,subgenus #f4 ,,russula#abd 7,scop474 ,bot4 ,char4 ,no veil2 stem smooth1 equal1 glabrous1 strong1 white1 spongy within2 pileus at first campanulate1 then hemispherical1 in age depressed1 fleshy in the centre1 thin at the margin1 which is never reflexed at any period of growth1 the epidermis bare1 smooth1 occasionally sticky in wet weather2 gills juiceless1 mostly equal1 occasionally forked1 the short ones few1 rigid1 brittle1 broad in front1 behind narrow1 acute1 properly free but apparently adnato-decurrent1 from the effusion of the stem into the pileus2 flesh firm1 dry1 white1 moderately compact1 brittle2 sporules white or ochraceous2 gills white or yellow4 ,large or middle size1 persistent1 solitary funguses1 growing on the ground4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 heterophyllus1 virescens1 and ruber4 ,acrid species3 ,ag4 emeticus1 sanguineus1 and alutaceus4 ,subgenus #g4 ,,galorrheus4#abe ,bot4 ,char4 ,no veil2 stalk equal1 round1 solid1 effused into the pileus2 pileus fleshy1 compact1 generally umbilicate1 margin even1 when young involute2 gills unequal1 sometimes very thick1 often forked1 narrow1 attenuated behind1 brittle1 connected by a prolonged tooth to the stalk1 down which they are slightly decurrent2 flesh firm and juicy1 distilling milk4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 deliciosus and piperatus4 ,subgenus #h4 ,,clytocybe4#abf ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil none2 pileus at first convex1 at length infundibuliform2 gills unequal4 ,the characteristics of this subgenus are rather negative than positive2 many of the contained species vary considerably amongst themselves1 but the subdivisions founded on such variations are all well marked4 ,subdivision ,dasyphylli4#abg ,gills in close juxtaposition1 decurrent or acutely adnate4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 nebularis4 ,subdivision ,camarophylli4#abh ,pileus subcompact1 dry2 gills very distant1 vaulted1 decurrent4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 virgineus4 ,subdivision ,chondropodes4#abi ,pileus tough1 dry1 gills nearly free1 close1 white1 external coat of stem subcartilaginous4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 fusipes4 ,subdivision ,scortei4 ,pileus subcoriaceous2 gills free1 subdistant4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 oreades4 ,subgenus #i4 ,,collybia4#acj ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #aj4 ,,mycena4#aca ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #aa4 ,,omphalia4#acb ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #ab4 ,,pleuropus4#acc ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus unequal1 eccentric or lateral2 stem1 when present1 solid and firm2 gills unequal1 juiceless1 unchangeable1 acute behind1 growing on trees or wood2 for the most part innocuous1 but two only generally eaten4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 ostreatus1 in the subdivision ,concharia2 and ,ag4 ulmarius1 in the subdivision geritaria4 ,series #b4 ,,hyporhodeus4#acd ,sporules pale rose-colour4 ,subgenus #ac4 ,,clitopilus4#ace ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil none2 stem tolerably firm1 subequal1 distinct from the pileus2 pileus fleshy1 campanulate or convex1 at length somewhat plane1 dry1 regular2 gills unequal1 changing colour as the fungus matures its seed1 fixed1 or free4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 orcella4 ,subgenus #ad4 ,,leptonia4#acf ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #ae4 ,,nolanea4#acg ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #af4 ,,eccilia4#ach ,esculent species3 none4 ,series #c4 ,,cortinaria4#aci ,sporules reddish-ochre2 veil arachnoid4 ,subgenus #ag4 ,,telamonia4#adj ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #ah4 ,,inoloma4#ada ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil fugacious1 marginal1 consisting of free arachnoid threads2 stem solid1 bulbous1 fibrillose1 more or less diffused into the pileus1 fleshy2 pileus fleshy1 convex when young1 then expanded1 fibrillose1 or viscid1 regular1 juicy2 gills emarginato-adnexed1 broad1 changing colour2 colour of the gills or pileus violet4 ,large autumnal funguses growing on the ground4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 violaceus4 ,subgenus #ai4 ,,dermocybe4#adb ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil dry1 arachnoid1 very fugacious2 stem not truly bulbous1 fibrillose1 stuffed when young2 pileus clothed with fibrill1 rarely with gluten2 gills rather unequal1 broad1 close4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 castaneus4 ,series #d4 ,,derminus4 ,in the nine subgenera following1 from #bj to #bh1 viz4 ,pholiota1 ,myxacium1 ,hebeloma1 ,flammula1 ,inocybe1 ,naucoria1 ,galera1 ,tapinia1 and ,crepidotus1 there are no esculent species4 ,series #e4 ,,pratella4#adc ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil not arachnoid2 gills changing colour1 clouded1 at length dissolving2 sporidia brown-purple4 ,subgenus #bi4 ,,volvaria4 ,esculent species3 none4 ,subgenus #cj4 ,,psaliota4#add ,bot4 ,char4 ,veil forming a partial ring-like investment1 more or less persistent2 stalk robust1 subequal1 distinct from the pileus2 pileus fleshy1 more or less campanulate when young1 almost flat when fully expanded2 sometimes sticky1 sometimes scaly or else fibrillose1 sometimes naked2 gills unequal1 free1 or connected with the stalk1 broad and deepening in colour4 ,in addition to the ring1 some have a very fugacious volva or velum1 some both one and the other4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 campestris and ,georgii4 ,in the four next subgenera1 from #ca to #cd1 ,hypholoma1 ,psilocybe1 ,psathyra1 and ,coprinarius1 there are no esculent species4 ,subgenus #ce4 ,,coprinus4#ade ,bot4 ,char4 ,gills free1 unequal1 thin1 simple1 changing colour1 at length deliquescent4 ,veil universal1 floccose1 fugacious2 stem fistulose1 straight1 elongated1 brittle1 subsquamulose1 whitish2 pileus membranaceous1 rarely subcarnose1 when young ovato-conic1 then campanulate1 at length torn and revolute1 deliquescent1 distinct from the stem1 clothed with the flocculose fragments of the veil4 ,fugacious funguses1 growing in rich dungy places or on rotten wood4 ,esculent species3 ,ag4 comatus and atramentarius4 ,subgenus #cf4 ,,gomphus4 ,no esculent species4 ,,genus #b4 ,,cantharellus4#adf ,bot4 ,char4 ,these are distinguished from ,agarics1 which at first sight they resemble1 by having veins in place of gills2 that is1 by having the prolongations of the fibres of the pileus invested in an undivided1 in place of a divided hymenium1 as occurs in ,agarics and in the genus ,boletus4 ,these veins are prominent1 ramifying1 seldom anastomosing2 central1 eccentric1 or wanting2 no investments2 dust white4 ,esculent species3 ,c4 cibarius4 ,in the next three genera1 ,merulius1 ,schizophyllum1 and ,ddalea1 there are no esculent species4 ,,genus #f4 ,,polyporus4#adg ,bot4 ,char4 ,hymenium concrete with the substance of the pileus1 consisting of subrotund pores with thin simple dissepiments4 ,esculent species3 ,p4 frondosus4 ,,genus #g4 ,,boletus4#adh ,bot4 ,char4 ,the word ,boletus1 which has at different times1 and under different mycologists1 been made to represent in turn many very different funguses1 is now restricted to such as have a soft flesh1 vertical tubes underneath1 round or angular1 slightly connected together and with the substance of the pileus1 open below1 and lined by the sporiferous membrane2 the cap horizontal1 very fleshy1 the stalk generally reticulated1 some have an investment2 the flesh of many changes colour4 ,they are all innocuous1 according to ,vittadini1 which is not strictly the case1 though many species hitherto reputed unwholesome1 or worse1 appear to lose their bad properties by drying4 ,the kinds generally eaten are ,b4 edulis and scaber4 ,,genus #h4 ,,fistulina4#adi ,bot4 ,char4 ,hymenium formed of a distinct substance1 but concrete with the fibres of the pileus2 tubes at first wart-like1 somewhat remote1 radiato-fimbriate1 closed2 at length approximated1 elongated1 open4 ,esculent species3 ,f4 hepatica4 ,,genus #i4 ,,hydnum4#aej ,bot4 ,char4 ,in this genus the under surface presents a series of conical teeth or bristles of unequal length1 solid1 continuous with the flesh of the pileus and covered entirely by the sporiferous membrane4 ,the species composing it have no investments2 the flesh is dry1 frequently corky or coriaceous2 the pileus irregular in shape1 and its margin arched and undulated4 ,there are no dangerous species1 but which to eat must depend upon the united consent of the stomach and of the teeth4 ,esculent species3 ,h4 repandum4 ,in the last five genera of this tribe1 namely1 ,sistotrema1 ,irpex1 ,radulum1 ,phlebia1 and ,thelephora1 there are no esculent species4 ,,tribe #b4 ,,clavati4#aea ,hymenium above1 smooth2 receptacle club-shaped or cylindrical1 with no distinct margin2 substance fleshy4 ,,genus #ae4 ,,clavaria4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,receptacle erect1 homogeneous1 smooth1 not distinguishable from the stalk1 simple or entirely covered by the hymenium4 ,all the species in this genus are good to eat4 ,in the remaining six genera of this tribe there are no esculent species4 ,,tribe #c4 ,,mitrati4 ,receptacle bullate1 pileiform1 margined2 hymenium superior1 never closed4 ,,genus #bb4 ,,morchella4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,receptacle hollow and confluent with stalk1 club-shaped1 or1 like the pileus1 fissured above with lacun more or less deep1 limited by thick folds1 anastomosed with reticulations1 entirely covered with sporiferous membrane2 flesh waxy in texture2 stalk constant4 ,there are two esculent kinds1 ,m4 esculenta and semilibera2 the esculenta and hybrida of ,sowerby4 ,,genus #bc4 ,,helvella4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,substance fleshy2 margins sinuous2 only the upper portion of the pileus sporiferous4 ,esculent species3 ,h4 crispa1 lacunosa1 and esculenta4 ,in ,genera #bd to #bf there are no esculent species4 ,,tribe #d4 ,,cupulati4 ,hymenium concrete1 superior1 smooth1 shut in while young by the margins of the receptacle2 sporules disseminated with elasticity or otherwise2 receptacle bowl-shaped1 flat or concave2 some of this tribe when young have an involucrum4 ,,genus #bg4 ,,peziza4 ,series ,,aleuria4 ,subgenus ,,megalopyxis4 ,esculent species3 ,p4 acetabulum4 ,in ,genera #bh to #de1 which conclude the first great division1 ,hymenomycetes1 there are no esculent species4 ,,division ,,ii4 ,,gasteromycetes4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,the receptacle a close cavity with or without a hymenium2 spores at last free and variously disseminated4 ,in ,genera #df to #gc there are no esculent species4 ,,genus #gd4 ,,bovista4#aeb ,bot4 ,char4 ,peridium papyraceous1 furnished with a distinct back1 which at length peels off altogether1 fertile within2 capillitium equal4 ,esculent species3 ,b4 plumbea4 ,,genus #ge4 ,,lycoperdon4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,a sessile peridium1 membranaceous2 at first filled with a white1 consistent1 homogeneous substance1 which after a time is converted into a dust of various hues1 and is interspersed with copious filaments4 ,the funguses of this genus are invested in two membranes2 the innermost of which1 or peridium1 is tough and smooth on the outside1 shaggy with floccose threads within4 ,the external membrane1 which is very fragile and tender1 frequently falls off during the maturation of the seed1 which then escapes through the peridium by an irregular orifice at the apex4 ,esculent species3 ,l4 plumbeum and ,bovista4 ,,description ,,of ,,species4 ,,agaricus ,,prunulus1 ,vitt4 ,,plate ,i4 ,,fig4 #a4 ,subgenus ,,tricholoma1 ,fries4 ,subdivision ,,personata1 ibid4 ,,agaricus ,,mouceron1 ,bulliard4 ,csalpinus1 p4 #fag4 ,,mouceron ,,gris1 ,paulet1 ,persoon4 8,cogitatione ante pascuntur succineis novaculis aut argenteo apparatu comitante40--,pliny4 8,tout ce qui fait l'ornement des festins s'embaume du parfum de ces cryptogames40--,persoon4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,gregarious1 or growing in rings#aec on the ground2 pileus thick1 convex1 irregular in shape1 more or less tuberculated1 sometimes lobed2#aed margin not striate1 wavy1 expanding unequally2 epidermis cream-coloured1 grey1 reddish1 or of a dirty nankeen hue1 paler towards the circumference1 soft to the touch like kid1 minutely tomentose1 fragile1 dry1 firmly attached to the flesh2 flesh firm1 compact2 gills watery1 white1 very numerous1 irregular1 with many smaller ones 7from #e-aa1 ,vitt47 interposed1 lying over each other like the plaits of a frill1 adnato-emarginate1#aee the imperfect gills rounded off at their posterior end4 ,stem white1 robust1 firm1 solid1 somewhat irregular in form1 generally thickened at the base1 constantly so in young specimens1 but in older ones1 though occasionally bulging1 it presents not unfrequently an equal cylinder throughout1 and sometimes tapers slightly downwards4 ,the fibres are effused into the pileus1 spreading out like a fan through its substance2 smell strong1 taste agreeable2 spores white1 elliptical1 adhering firmly to the body on which they fall4 ,the dried plant retains much the same form it had when fresh4 ,on tracing this fungus to its origin1 7spring is the only time1 and the borders of the woodlands the proper place1 to look for it17 if we dig up the earth where it grows1 this will be found mouldy to a considerable depth beneath the surface1 and strongly impregnated with the peculiar odour which the ,prunulus exhales2 this apparent mouldiness being1 in fact1 the spawn1 amidst the white filaments of which many minute ,agarics1 in various stages of their development1 may be found2 some1 in the earliest1 presenting merely white cones destitute of heads1 whilst in others a slight protuberance indicates the future pileus forming or already formed4 ,the pileus is at first almost spherical1 and involute in its borders1 the gills whitish1 very minute1 and so thickly set as to press one against the other1 each communicating to the membrane that lines the next the impressions of its own fibres1 which remain in the form of transverse stri1 and furnish a characteristic to this fungus retained during all its subsequent growth 7,vitt474 ,the greatest size which ,i have known the ,prunulus attain has been in ,england1 where ,i have picked specimens measuring six inches across1 and weighing between four and five ounces2 as to the fecundity of this fungus1 ,i collected this spring1 from a single ring on the ,war-,mount at ,keston 7,kent71 from ten to twelve pounds1 and in the one field from twenty to twenty-five pounds4 ,in this neighbourhood they are generally destroyed1 as injurious to his grass-crops1 by the over-careful farmer1 quite ignorant1 of course1 of their value2 to which the following extract from a letter of ,professor ,balbi to ,persoon bears testimony3--8,this rare and most delicious ,agaric1 the ,mouceron of ,bulliard1 and the ,ag4 prunulus of other authors1 abounds on the hills above the valley of ,stafora1 near ,bobbio1 where it is called ,spinaroli1 and is in great request2 the country people eat it fresh in a variety of ways1 or they dry and sell it for from twelve to sixteen francs a pound40 ,vittadini says1 truly enough1 that the fresh is better than the dried ,prunulus1 the substance of the latter being rather coriaceous1 but the gravy prepared from it in this state1 being very rich and well-flavoured1 is largely used by those who reject the body of the mushroom2 three or four thrown into a pot of the lighter broths or of beef-tea render them more savoury4 ,to dry the ,prunulus it is usual to cut it into four or more pieces1 which are exposed for some days to a dry air and then threaded3 it acquires an aroma by the process1 and communicates this to any dish of which it is afterwards an ingredient4 ,it would be extremely difficult to confound this ,agaric with any other2 its mode of growth in circles1 the extreme narrowness of its gills1 which are moreover striate1 the thickness of its pileus1 and the bulging character of its stalk1 would render a mistake almost impossible1 even did it grow in autumn when other funguses abound1 in place of appearing only in spring when few species comparatively abound4 ,the best mode of cooking the ,ag4 prunulus is either in a mince or fricassee it with any sort of meat1 or in a vol-au-vent1 the flavour of which it greatly improves2 or simply prepared with salt1 pepper1 and a small piece of bacon1 lard1 or butter1 to prevent burning1 it constitutes of itself a most excellent dish4 ,it has the great advantage of appearing in spring1 at a season the common mushroom never occurs4 ,i have placed it first in the series of ,plates1 as being the most savoury fungus with which ,i am acquainted4#aef ,when eaten alone1 ,sterbeck's white mustard will be found an excellent condiment for it2 this is prepared as follows3--,bruise in a mortar some sweet almonds with a little water1 then add salt1 pepper1 and some lemon-juice1 rub together till the whole is of the consistence of common mustard4 ,,agaricus ,,procerus1 ,scop4 ,,plate ,,ii4 ,subgenus ,,lepiota1 ,fries4 8,elle est d'une saveur trs-agrable et d'une chair tendre1 trs-dlicate et trs-bonne manger4 ,les amateurs la prfrent mme au champignon de couche1 comme ayant une chair plus fine et tant beaucoup plus lgre sur l'estomac40--,paulet4 ,this1 which is one of the most delicate funguses1 fortunately is not rare in ,england4 ,in ,italy it is in equal request with the ,amanita ,csarea2 in ,france it is also in high esteem1--8servie sur toutes les tables1 elle est bonne toute sauce0 7,thore72 and were its excellent qualities better known here1 they could not fail to secure it a general reception into our best kitchens1 and a frequent place among our side-dishes at table4 ,the beauty and remarkable appearance of this ,agaric have procured for it a variety of names3 colubrinus1 from the snake-like markings on the stem2 clypeatus1 from its umbonated top2 #8fungo parasole1' from the orbicular form of the wide-spread pileus2 and ,gambaltiem or ,fonz de la gamba lunga1 from the extraordinary height of the stalk4 ,autumn is the time of its greatest abundance1 but individual specimens occur occasionally throughout the summer4 ,it grows solitary or few together in hedgebanks and pasture-grounds4 ,the pileus1 which is commonly from four to four and a half inches across1 sometimes attains a width of six or seven4 ,at first it is concealed in a volva1 but breaking from this it goes through a variety of forms1 from that of an ovoid cone to that of a flattened disk4 ,it is umbonated at the centre1 and covered with scales1 which are formed by the breaking up of the mud-coloured epidermis1 and are large1 raised1 and persistent at the centre2 thin1 regular1 and lighter in hue at the circumference1 8the whole surface resembling a delightfully soft1 shaggy-brown leather0 7,purton74 ,the flesh of the pileus is white and cottony1 that of the stalk fibrous and somewhat brittle1 with a subrubescent tinge1 the whole plant turning to a rufous-orange when bruised2 the gills are of a pale flesh-colour1 occasionally forked1 ventricose1 denticulate1 remote from the stalk1 and having a circular pit between it and their central extremities1 which are fixed into a kind of collar4 ,the stalk tawny1 striped circularly with bands of white1 formed by the breaking up of the epidermis2 is bulbous at the base and attenuated upwards2 its apex rounded1 and penetrating deeply through the flesh of the pileus 7which receives it as in a socket71 gives rise to the central umbo on the upper surface of the cap4 ,the ring moveable1 like that of an umbrella-stick1 broad1 compact1 membranaceous immediately round the stalk1 and fibrous towards its free margin1 is white above and tawny or of the same colour as the stalk on its under surface4 ,the smell is like that of newly-ground meal2 the taste is pleasant2 the spores are white and elliptic4 ,the ,ag4 excoriatus resembles the ,ag4 procerus very closely1 but is easily distinguished from it by its smaller size1 the absence of the bulb at the base of the stalk1 and the ring being often attached instead of free4 ,being equally esculent1 the following receipts will serve for both3-- 8,comme il est trs-lger et trs-dlicat1 il faut le faire sauter dans l'huile fine aprs l'avoir assaisonn d'un point d'ail1 de poivro et de sel2 en quelques instants il est cuit4 ,on le mange aussi en fricasse de poulet1 cuit sur le gril ou dans la tourtire avec de beurre1 de fines herbes1 du poivre1 du sel1 et de la chapelure de pain2 on ne mange point la tige1 elle est d'une texture coriace0 7,roques74 ,the ketchup from both kinds is better than that procured from the ,agaricus campestris1 or common mushroom4 ,n4,b4--,i have in the above notice described one variety of ,agaricus procerus2 there is1 however1 if not another1 at least a remarkable modification of this1 in which the pileus is thinner and much less shaggy1 the gills less broad but similar in shape1 the stalk more slender and elongate4 ,this variety is also nearly void of odour1 and its flesh does not change colour on being bruised3 for culinary purposes this distinction is without importance1 as both are equally good4 ,,boletus ,,edulis1 ,bulliard4 ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,figs4 #a ,,and #b4 ,section ,,cortinaria1 ,fries4 8,atto sovra ognun altro fungo al commercio1 forma da questo lato1 per non pochi paesi della ,lombardia1 una delle principali risorsi della povera gente40--,vitt4 ,the ancient ,romans were well acquainted with this truly delicious fungus1 and in general appear to have done it justice2 the strings of dried ,suillus1 which his countrymen1 on the testimony of ,pliny1 were in the habit of fetching from ,bithynia1 were in all likelihood the same as those similarly-prepared strings of the modern ,porcino which are sold during the winter in every market-place throughout ,italy4#aeg ,vittadini mentions a curious fact respecting them1 viz4 that though they are composed of many different ,boletuses1 no mischief was ever known to originate from their indiscriminate and very extensive consumption2 whence he concludes that all the species of this genus are innocuous1 or1 at least1 that drying and cooking will extract any deleterious principles which they may have originally contained2--an inference1 he thinks1 supported by the daily use among the peasantry of certain districts of the ,b4 luridus1 which of all bad ,boletuses commonly passes for the worst1 and by his having experimented with it in large doses upon animals1 who did not suffer in consequence4 ,i have eaten in ,england a small quantity both of ,b4 ,grevillei and of ,b4 granulatus1 which have much of the flavour of the ,b4 edulis2 of the ,b4 subtomentosus7though1 on the authority of ,trattinick1 it is eaten in ,germany7 ,i have no personal experience1 nor do ,i recommend to the amateur any species beyond the two universally eaten and approved of on the ,continent1 viz43--,b4 edulis and ,b4 scaber4 ,b4 edulis4--,,bot4 ,,char4 ,pileus from six to seven inches across1 pulvinate1 smooth1 with a thick margin1 varying in colour from light brown or bronze1 to bay1 dark brown1 or black1 or a mixture of all these colours4 ,the epidermis firmly adherent to the flesh1 that firm1 and except the part in immediate contact with the skin1 which has a slight brown tint1 white2 the under surface of the cap nearly flat1 often presenting a circular pit or depression round the stalk2 tubes at first white1 then yellow1 lastly of an olive or yellow-green tint1 in the earlier stage of development 7their free extremities then lie against the side of the stalk7 closed2 afterwards1 as the cap expands1 stopped up with a waxy-looking material of a dirty pearl colour4 ,stem varying much in shape at different periods of the growth of the ,boletus1 always thick and solid2 at first white1 but soon changing to fawn colour1 beautifully meshed or mapped 7especially on its upper portion7 with reticulations characteristic of this species4 ,as the period for casting its seed advances1 the inferior surface of the cap swells out1 the waxy matter is absorbed1 the tubes present deep and rounded orifices to the eye1 and presently emit an abundant seminal dust1 of an ochraceous green hue 7sometimes difficult to collect1 from the quantity of moisture exhaled with it71 after which both cap and stalk become flaccid1 the tubes turn to a dirty green1 and the whole fungus falls rapidly into a state of decomposition4 ,the favourite sites for this ,boletus are woods1 especially those of pines1 oaks1 and chestnuts2 it abounds in autumn1 but occurs in spring and occasionally in summer4 ,there is one variety1 the pinicola1 whose name gives its whereabouts1 which differs from the foregoing1 in having a moist1 somewhat sticky cap1 a watery flesh changing near the tubes to a light yellow-green when bruised2 the reticulations are ill-marked in this species4 ,the ,boletus edulis cannot be mistaken for any other ,boletus because it alone presents all the following characters united1 viz4 a cap of which the surface is smooth2 tubes the colour of which varies with each period of its growth1 beautiful and singular reticulations of the stalk1 especially towards the upper portion1 and a flesh which is white and unchanging4 ,the ,boletus castaneus1 which bears1 some little general resemblance to it1 is at once distinguished by having a cottony fibrillose stem without reticulations1 a downy cap and dirty yellow dust3 neither can it be confounded with the ,b4 subtomentosus nor ,b4 luridus1 because in addition to many other points of difference1 both these change colour on being cut or bruised4 ,as to the best manner of cooking ,b4 edulis1 this must be left to the taste of the gourmet2 in every way it is good4 ,its tender and juicy flesh1 its delicate and sapid flavour1 render it equally acceptable to the plain and to the accomplished cook4 ,it imparts a relish alike to the homely hash and the dainty ragout1 and may be truly said to improve every dish of which it is a constituent4 8,nihil tetigit quod non ornavit40 8,though much neglected in this country1 it appears to be a most valuable article of food4 ,it resembles much in taste the common mushroom1 and is quite as delicate2 it abounds in seasons when these are not to be found40 7,berkeley47 ,modes of ,cooking ,boletus edulis4 7,,persoon47 ,it may be cooked in white sauce1 with or without chicken1 in fricassee broiled or baked with butter1 salad oil1 pepper1 salt1 chopped herbs1 and bread-crumbs2 to which some add ham or a mince of anchovy4 ,it makes excellent fritters3 some roast it with onions 7basting with butter71 but as these take longer to cook than the ,boletus1 this must not be put down till the onions have begun to soften4 ,boletus edulis ,soup1 made in ,hungary4 7,,paulet47 ,having dried some ,boletuses in an oven1 soak them in tepid water1 thickening with toasted bread1 till the whole be of the consistence of a pure1 then rub through a sieve1 throw in some stewed ,boletuses1 boil together1 and serve with the usual condiments4 ,,agaricus ,,campestris4 ,section ,,pratella4 ,subdivision ,,psaliota1 ,fries4 ,,agaricus ,,campestris1 ,linn4 8,o crot ce champignon1 dlice des festins1 ,que l'art fait chaque jour natre dans nos jardins40--,castel4 ,there is scarcely any one in ,england who does not feel himself competent to decide on the genuineness of a mushroom3 its pink gills are carefully separated from those of a kindred fungus ,ag4 ,georgii1 which are of a flesh-coloured grey1 and out of the pickings of ten thousand hands1 a mistake is of rare occurrence2 and yet no fungus presents itself under such a variety of forms1 of such singular diversities of aspect6 the inference is plain2 less discrimination than that employed to distinguish this1 would enable any who should take the trouble1 to recognize at a glance many of those esculent species1 which every spring and autumn fill our plantations and pastures with plenteousness4 ,neither is this left to be a mere matter of inference2 it is corroborated in a singular manner by what takes place at ,rome2 here1 whilst many hundred baskets of what we call toadstools are carried home for the table1 almost the only one condemned to be thrown into the ,tiber1 by the inspector of the fungus market is our own mushroom3#aeh indeed1 in such dread is this held in the ,papal ,states1 that no one knowingly would touch it4 8,it is reckoned one of their fiercest imprecations10 writes ,professor ,sanguinetti1 8amongst our lower orders1 infamous for the horrible nature of their oaths1 to pray that any one may die of a ,pratiolo20 and although it has been some years registered among the esculent funguses of ,milan and ,pavia 7on the authority of ,vittadini71 it has not yet found its way into those markets4 ,besides the general botanical characters which apply to all varieties of ,ag4 campestris1 almost every writer has felt the necessity of pointing out several peculiarities1 belonging to each4 ,common to all are a fleshy pileus1 which is sometimes smooth1 sometimes scaly1 in colour white1 or of different shades of tawny1 fuliginous1 or brown2 gills free1 at first pallid1 then flesh-coloured1 then pink1 next purple1 at length tawny-black2 the stem white1 full1 firm1 varying in shape1 furnished with a white persistent ring2 the spores brown-black1 and a volva which is very fugacious4 ,var4 ,a4 edulis4 ,this1 which is our button mushroom1 lies at first concealed in the earth1 at which period it presents the appearance of a puff-ball2 at a second stage of its growth1 it exhibits a white1 smooth1 and continuous epidermis2 gills rounded off at their posterior end2 a large1 somewhat funnel-shaped1 double ring1 free1 and somewhat moveable on the stem1 which is short and thick4 ,this1 according to ,vittadini1 is the most sapid variety of any4 ,var4 ,b4 pratensis4 ,this differs from the last in the duskier hue of its pileus1 which is moreover scaly1 and has ragged margins2 the gills are ventricose2 and the ring1 which is subfugacious1 is cortinarious1 i4 e4 of a cobweb texture1 and reflexed2 the stalk is longer than in the last species1 and tapers towards the base2 the colour of the flesh in this variety is vinous or even sanguine4 ,var4 ,c4 silvicola4 ,this differs from the two former in the following particulars2 the gills are pallid1 taper equally at both ends1 and come off at a considerable distance from the stalk1 which is surrounded above by a very delicate ring1 and is bulbous at the base1 the bulb showing traces of the volva4#aei ,var4 ,d4 anceps4 ,such uncultivated mushrooms as when eaten even in small quantity1 produce violent derangement of the stomach and intestinal canal1 belong to a variety which1 since it grows under hedges1 is sometimes called 8the hedge mushroom20 this1 to which1 for distinction's sake1 ,i have given the name of anceps1 is by no means of rare occurrence4 ,in order to discriminate it properly from the wholesome varieties1 the first point to notice is its extreme lightness as compared with its bulk1 that the gills are of a deeper and of a more lurid red than those of var4 edulis1 and in age less purple2 they are also less deliquescent4 ,the flesh is more tough and not so juicy4 ,the stem1 as in the var4 silvicola1 is curved and bulbous1 but also fistulose throughout4 ,the ring complete1 firm1 broad1 reflexed1 and persistent2 the odour disagreeable1 and the taste insipid4 ,the form of the pileus that of an obtuse cone in young specimens2 extremely flat in the middle state2 and more or less concave in age4 ,it seldom grows solitary4 ,the mushroom proper1 like other funguses1 should be eaten fresh2 a few hours making all the difference between its wholesomeness or unwholesomeness3 nor need this surprise us when we consider how many principles enter into its composition1 how short is the period of its existence1 and how liable it must be to enter into new combinations in consequence4 ,vauquelin found in its flesh fat1 adipocere1 osmazome1 an animal matter insoluble in alcohol1 sugar1 fungine1 and acetate of potash4 ,what a medley6 and what wonder1 if the changes induced during decomposition should cause the indigestions suffered by those who have eaten them in this state6 ,the mushroom1 having the same proximate principles as meat1 requires1 like meat1 to be cooked before these become changed4 ,the ,ag4 campestris may be prepared in a great variety of ways3 they give a fine flavour to soups1 and greatly improve beef-tea2--where arrow-root and weak broths are distasteful to the patient1 the simple seasoning of a little ketchup will frequently form an agreeable change4 ,some roast them1 basting with melted butter and white 7,french7 wine sauce4#afj ,in patties and vols-au-vent they are equally excellent2 in fricassees1 as everybody knows1 they are the important element of the dish4 ,roques recommends in all cases the removal of the gills before dressing1 which though it secures a more elegant-looking entremet1 is only flattering the eye at the expense of the palate4 ,var4 ,e4 bovinus4 ,this variety differs from the ,ag4 ,georgii and the type of the species in size and other particulars4 ,there are specimens which measure fifteen inches across the pileus1 with a stalk of corresponding dimensions4 ,the pileus is shaggy1 like that of the ,ag4 procerus1 with epidermic scales1 which are at first nearly white1 but in fully developed specimens1 of a rich tawny colour1 like the ,polyporus squamosus2 and sometimes of a red-brown4 ,the scales more depressed than in ,ag4 procerus1 the gills not ventricose1 equal at both ends1 separated from the stalk by a fossa or groove which runs round its apex2 the stalk solid1 attenuated at the very base1 but thickened just above it1 a slightly vinous hue when bruised2 flesh of ring perfect1 persistent1 and hanging round the stalk like a sheet of thin white kid2 into which a number of delicate silver threads may be traced proceeding from the apex of stem4 ,the smell is powerful but agreeable1 as also is the flavour2 no part of the surface ever turns yellow4 ,this variety is both wholesome and well-flavoured2 as it is commonly known by the peasants under the name of the 8,ox-,mushroom10 ,i have called it bovinus4 ,receipt ,i4--8,a la ,provenale40 ,steep for two hours in oil1 with some salt1 pepper1 and a little garlic3 then toss up in a small stewpan over a brisk fire1 with parsley chopped and a little lemon-juice4 ,receipt ,,ii4--,to stuff ,mushrooms4 ,take large mushrooms1 full-grown1 but not black2 remove the gills1 and place in lieu of them the following stuffing3--bacon shredded1 crumbs of bread1 chopped herbs1 and a little garlic or eschalots 7as for omelettes71 salt1 pepper1 and a taste of spice4 ,broil in paper as a ,maintenon cutlet1 moistening with butter when necessary4 ,receipt ,,iii4--,mushrooms 8 la ,marquis ,cussi40 ,take button mushrooms2 put to them a very small quantity of garlic1 finely chopped2 toss up over a brisk fire with a little butter2 add some lemon-juice2 give them a few turns2 then add salt1 pepper1 nutmeg1 and a wine-glassful of the richest brown gravy 7,grande ,espagnole72 when the mushrooms are warmed through in this1 add a couple of glasses of ,sauterne1 simmer for ten minutes1 and serve4 ,a homely mode of cooking ,ag4 campestris in ,bucks4 is to cut up the buttons with pieces of bacon the size of dice1 and then to boil them in a dumpling4 ,method of ,cultivating4 ,the following method of cultivating mushrooms is given in ,paxton's #8,botanical ,dictionary3'-- 8,collect a sufficient quantity of fresh horse-droppings1 as free from straw as possible2 lay it in an open shed in a heap or ridge2 here it will heat violently1 and in consequence should be now and then turned for sweetening2 after this has subsided to moderation1 it will be in a fit state for forming into a bed4 ,in the process of making the bed1 the dung should be put on in small quantities and beat firmly and equally together1 until it is the required size2 in this state let it remain until the highest degree of heat to which it is capable of coming is ascertained1 which may be readily done by inserting a heat-stick1 and pressing it with the hand2 if not found violent1 the spawn may be broken up into pieces of two or three inches square1 and put into holes about three inches in depth by six inches asunder1 over its surface2 after this1 throw a very small quantity of well-broken droppings over the whole4 ,in this state let it remain for two or three weeks1 when a loamy soil may be put on about an inch or an inch and a half thick1 and gently patted with the spade4 ,if the temperature of the house be kept about sixty or sixty-five degrees1 mushrooms may be expected in six weeks4 ,it is not well to water the beds much1 particularly when bearing2 it is much better to throw a little water over the path and flues1 which will both improve the colour and the flavour of the mushrooms1 without being attended with those bad effects frequently resulting from watering1 viz4 that of destroying the young stock1 and turning browner those already fit for table40--,paxton's ,bot4 ,dict4 ,with regard to the spawn1 it may be collected as recommended in the ,french work cited by ,m4 ,roques1 and kept in a dry place till wanted2 or by digging about the roots of growing mushrooms1 and carrying away the earth which contains it4 ,the dbris of a former mushroom-bed will always furnish spawn for a new4 ,,agaricus ,,exquisitus1 nob4 ,,plate ,,iv41 ,,figs4 #c1 #d1 ,,and #e4 ,section ,,psaliota1 ,fries4 ,subdivision ,,pratella1 ibid4 ,,agaricus ,,georgii1 ,withering4 8,l',agarico esquisito un fungo sano1 oltremodo delicato e di facilissima digestione40--,vitt4 8,its flavour is far inferior to that of the common mushroom40--,berkeley4 ,this fungus1 called also the ,horse ,mushroom1 from the enormous dimensions#afa to which it sometimes attains1 is for the most part shunned by the ,english epicure2 it is also this species from which many persons report themselves to have suffered indigestion attended with violent colicky pains1 when they have eaten it by mistake for the ,ag4 campestris4 ,it is sold1 under the name of ,white ,caps1 for making ketchup2 but1 notwithstanding its foreign name and reputation1 most persons will agree with ,mr4 ,berkeley1 in holding both its flesh and its juices as greatly inferior to those of the ,ag4 campestris4 ,our other name for it1 that of ,st4 ,george's ,agaric1 can have no reference to the time of its appearance1 as it is seldom met with in ,england till after that saint's day2 it has1 moreover1 the same name in ,hungary1 where the inhabitants look upon it as a special gift from ,saint ,george4 ,its botanical characters are the following3-- ,pileus at first conico-campanulate1 covered with floccose shreds1 which are very fugacious2 when fully expanded1 minutely squamulose1 of a beautiful white1 shining and smooth2 turning yellow when bruised1 and sometimes exuding a yellow juice 7,sibthorpe74 ,gills numerous1 broad1 attenuated both ways1 but most so behind1 free1 of a pallid hue 7grey flesh-colour71 during the growth of the fungus2 later1 clouded brown-black2 the imperfect gills obtuse behind4 ,stem long1 subcylindrical1 slightly thickened at the base1 white without1 stuffed within4 ,ring tumid and reflected over the stalk4 ,flesh of both pileus and stalk compact1 fibrous1 and fragile4 ,flavour and smell strong1 and1 according to ,vittadini1 agreeable1 but according to ,english perception generally the reverse4 ,persoon pronounces this fungus to be superior to the common mushroom in smell1 taste1 and digestibility1 on which accounts1 he says1 it is generally preferred in ,france4 ,it is to be cooked in the same way as that1 and1 if eaten in moderation1 will seldom be found to incommode the stomach or offend the palate4 ,locality4--,pastures1 amidst thickets1 under trees1 generally in large rings1 reproducing itself every year in the same situations4 ,,agaricus ,,deliciosus4 ,,plate ,v41 ,,fig4 #d4 ,orange ,milk ,agaric4 ,subgenus ,,galorrheus4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,gregarious4 ,pileus from three to four inches across2 colour dull orange-rufous1 frequently zoned with concentric circles of a brighter hue1 fleshy1 firm1 full of red orange milk1 which turns green on exposure to the air 7as does the whole plant when bruised72 the margin at first involute and downy1 then expanded1 afterwards depressed4 ,gills decurrent1 forked at the base1 always of the same colour as the pileus1 rather distant1 substantial4 ,stem from two to three inches high1 slightly bent1 stuffed in part1 scrobiculate 7i4 e4 marked with little superficial pits72 at the base strigose 7i4 e4 covered with short pointed hairs74 ,this is one of the best ,agarics with which ,i am acquainted1 fully deserving both its name and the estimation in which it is held abroad4 ,its flesh is firm1 juicy1 sapid1 and nutritious4 ,it grows under old ,scotch firs and pines1 and occasionally in considerable abundance1 and is well worth the trouble of searching for from ,september to the beginning of ,november1 when it is in season4 ,there is but one fungus which it in any way resembles1 and as that one 7,ag4 torminosus7 is acrid and poisonous1 the gatherer must pay particular attention to the following characteristic difference between the two1 viz4 that the milk of the ,ag4 deliciosus is red and subsequently turns green1 while that of the ,ag4 torminosus is white and unchangeable4 ,mr4 ,sowerby thus speaks in praise of this species3--8,i had one dressed2 it was very luscious eating1 full of rich gravy1 with a little of the flavour of mussels40 ,sir ,james ,smith1 in his #8,tour1' says3--8,the market of ,marseilles exhibited a prodigious quantity of ,ag4 deliciosus1 which really deserves its name1 being the most delicious mushroom known40 ,the ,agaricus deliciosus may be served with a white sauce1 or fried2 but the best way to cook them1 after duly seasoning with pepper and salt1 and putting a piece of butter upon each1 is to bake 7in a closely-covered pie-dish7 for about three-quarters of an hour4 ,,boletus ,,scaber1 ,fries4 ,,plate ,,vi4 ,,figs4 #a1 #b4 8,fungo innocente e che non pu cagionare alcun danno1 non molto ricercato a motivo1 senza dubbio1 del cambiamento di colore in cui va soggetto la sua carne allorch viene rotta o compressa40--,vitt4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,this fungus presents itself under two distinct forms2 in the first1 the ,b4 aurantiacus of ,bull41 the pileus 7generally rather downy1 but sometimes rough7 is of a beautiful deep orange hue2 in the other it is cinereous4 ,in both cases its shape is that of a hemisphere of from three to seven inches across1 the surface of which becomes viscid when moist1 and is minutely downy4 ,in the first variety1 the stem is rough with black1 in the second with orange scales4 ,half a foot is its average height2 it is attenuated upwards4 ,while young1 it is very thick in proportion to the pileus1 and exhibits frequently the traces of a floccose veil4 ,the flesh is thick and flabby1 of a dingy white1 not greatly changeable in young specimens1 but deepening in colour when old1 and acquiring a vinous tint2#afb the tubes are of a dirty white1 those that surround the stem being shorter than the rest4 ,the odour of this fungus is slight2 the taste subacid2 the seminal dust copious1 and tawny-ferruginous4 ,it may be cooked like the ,b4 edulis1 and has an agreeable flavour2 but being more viscid in substance1 it requires when stewed to be thinned with water2 when dried1 it loses all odour1 and is then insipid and unfit for food4 ,,boletus ,,luridus4 ,,plate ,,vi4 ,,figs4 #c1 #d1 ,,and #e4 ,nothing can be more accurate than ,mr4 ,berkeley's description of this species1 which ,i therefore subjoin3--8,woods4 ,summer and autumn4 ,common4 ,pileus two to six inches broad1 convex1 expanded1 minutely tomentose1 olive1 brick-red1 pinkish1 cream-coloured1 or ferruginous-brown4 ,flesh more or less yellow1 changing to blue4#afc ,tubes free1 yellow or greenish2 their orifices of a beautiful red or bright orange1 quite simple1 round4 ,spores olivaceous-ochre4 ,stem very variable in length1 bulbous1 tomentose1 sometimes quite smooth1 red with ferruginous or the brightest yellow shades1 solid1 generally more or less marked or reticulated with crimson-red1 very deleterious078#afd74 ,,agaricus ,,personatus4 ,,plate ,i4 ,,fig4 #b4 ,subgenus ,,tricholoma1 ,fries4 ,blewitts4 ,i never met with this fungus in ,italy2 it has not been described by ,vittadini1 nor1 that ,i am aware of1 by any ,italian mycologist2 neither is it mentioned by ,cordier or ,roques1 in their treatises on the esculent funguses of ,france4 ,extremely common in ,england1 this species has already found its way to ,covent ,garden1 where1 according to ,sowerby1 it is sold under the name of 8,blewitts40#afe ,the favourite haunt of the ,blewitt is amidst grass1 where it grows in clusters1 or in large rings1 seldom appearing before ,october4 ,the botanical characters1 as given by ,mr4 ,berkeley1 are as follows3--8,pileus from two to six inches broad1 fleshy1 firm2 pale bistre or purple-lilac1 occasionally violet2 convex1 obtuse1 very smooth1 and shining1 as if oiled1 but not viscid2 margin involute1 pulverulento-tomentose4 ,gills rounded2 free1 narrow in front1 paler than the pileus1 sometimes violet1 turning to a dirty flesh-colour1 especially when bruised2 stem from one to three inches high1 three-quarters of an inch thick1 firm1 bulbous1 solid1 mottled within towards the apex1 with watery spots2 clothed more or less with villous fibrill1 tinged with violet2 odour like that of ,oreades1 but rather overpowering2 taste pleasant40 ,as the 8,blewitt0 is apt to imbibe in wet weather a great quantity of moisture1 it should not be gathered during rain2 when not water-soaked it is a fine firm fungus with a flavour of veal1 like which it is to be dressed en papillottes with savoury herbs and the usual condiments1 and the more highly seasoned the better4 ,,agaricus ,,oreades1 ,bolt4 ,,plate ,,vii4 ,,fig4 #d4 ,subgenus ,,clitocybe4 ,section ,,scortei1 ,fries4 ,scotch ,bonnets4 ,every one knows the ,champignon1--that little buff fungus which during so many months in the year comes up in successive crops1 in great profusion after rain1 and generally in rings4 ,these ,champignons abound everywhere3 this summer 7#ahdg7 ,hyde ,park was full of them2 amid the seared and much-trodden grass they were continually tracing their fairy rings1 and in some instances they reached the very border of the gravel walks4 ,independent of the excellent flavour of this little mushroom1 which is as good as that of most funguses1 two circumstances give it an additional value in a domestic point of view1 viz4 the facility with which it is dried1 and its very extensive dissemination4 ,when dried 7two or three days' exposure to the air is generally sufficient to effect this71 the ,ag4 oreades may be kept for years without losing any of its aroma or goodness1 which on the contrary become improved by the process1 so as1 in fact1 to impart more flavour to the dish than would have been imparted by the fresh fungus2 though it is not to be denied that the flesh then becomes coriaceous and less easy of digestion4#aff ,from the sad accidents occasioned by persons mistaking other small and poisonous ,agarics growing in the neighbourhood of the ,champignon for the ,champignon itself1 this species is frequently looked upon with suspicion1 and not often eaten in ,england4 ,the ,agaric the least unlike and most commonly found growing in company with the ,ag4 oreades1 is the ,ag4 semilobatus1 which is nearly allied to1 if it be not the same as the ,ag4 virosus of ,sowerby4 ,but as ,i have also heard of a gentleman who intending to gather ,champignons1 and taking home some ,ag4 dryophilus by mistake1 was rendered very ill by his repast1 to prevent the recurrence of such mistakes for the future1 ,i here add the botanical characters1 marking what is peculiar to each in italics4 ,ag4 dryophilus is represented in ,pl4 ,,vii4 fig4 #e4 ,,ag4 ,,dryophilus4 ,solitary or tufted4 ,pileus from one to two inches broad1 whitish1 pinkish1 yellowish1 or yellow-brown1 flat1 sometimes depressed1 fleshy1 thin1 fragile1 when moist easily injured1 of a tougher substance when dry4 ,gills soft1 tender1 numerous1 white1 or pale yellow straw-colour4 ,stem shining1 hollow1 of the same colour as the pileus1 but towards the apex generally darker and of a redder tinge4 ,,ag4 ,,oreades4 ,in dense rings1 or gregarious4 ,pileus smooth1 fleshy1 convex1 subumbonate1 generally more or less compressed1 or sinuate2 tough1 coriaceous1 elastic1 wrinkled1 when water-soaked brown1 buff or cream-colour when dry2 the umbo often remaining red-brown1 as if scorched4 ,gills distant1 ventricose1 of the same tint as the pileus or paler4 ,stem equal1 solid1 twisted1 very tough and fibrous1 pure1 silky1 white2 base downy1 somewhat rooting and attached to the roots of grass4#afg ,,ag4 ,,semiglobatus4 ,pileus hemispherical1 viscid when moist1 shining and smooth as if varnished1 obtuse1 fleshy4 ,gills very broad1 perfectly horizontal to the stem1 broadly adnate1 with a little tooth1 minutely serrated1 mottled with purple-brown sporules4 ,stalk very viscid1 shining when dry with a closely-matted silkiness1 fistulose1 sometimes bulbous with a hollow bulb2 ring generally complete1 reflexed1 often dusted with the dark-coloured spores4 ,,agaricus ,,nebularis4 ,,plate ,,iv4 ,,fig4 #b4 ,subgenus ,,clitocybe4 ,section ,,dasyphylli1 ,fries4 ,,ag4 ,,pileolarius1 ,bulliard4 8,il est trs-agrable au got40--,bulliard4 ,the following description was made from some among the more characteristic specimens of a large supply which ,i gathered this autumn 7#ahdg7 near ,hayes1 from a spot where they are in the habit of re-appearing regularly in ,october4 ,pileus from two and a half to five inches across2 at first depresso-convex2 when expanded nearly flat or broadly subumbonate1 never depressed1 margin at first involute and pruinose2 occasionally somewhat waved and lobed1 but generally regular in form2 smooth1 viscid when moist1 so that dead leaves adhere to it2 grey1 brown at the centre1 paler towards the circumference4 ,flesh thick1 white1 unchanging2 gills cream-colour1 narrow1 decurrent1 close1 their margins waved1 unequal1 generally simple4 ,stem from two to four inches long1 from a quarter of an inch to an inch thick2 incurved at the base1 not rooting1 but attaching by means of a floccose down1 round its lower portion and for one-third of its length1 a large quantity of dead leaves1 by which the plant is held erect2 subequal1 more or less marked with longitudinal pits1 firm externally1 within of a softer substance4 ,the odour strong1 like that of curd cheese4 ,this ,agaric appears to be local in ,italy2 otherwise it could scarcely have been omitted in ,vittadini's work1 nor by the author of the article 8,fungo0 in the ,venice edition of the #8,dizionario ,classico di ,medicina3' add to which that ,i have never met with it myself either at ,florence1 ,pisa1 ,naples1 or ,leghorn4 ,that it grows in the neighbourhood of ,rome is certain1 since ,i find it admirably delineated in a curious collection of very old drawings which ,i purchased there4 ,moreover ,professor ,sanguinetti1 of that city1 writes in terms of high commendation of this mushroom1 which1 he says1 may be discerned inter alia1 8by its peculiar odour and grateful taste3 when properly cooked it is equal to any of our funguses1 rivalling not only the ,ag4 prunulus1 but even the ,csareus3 as few are aware of its good qualities1 it seldom finds its way into the ,roman market40 ,the ,ag4 nebularis requires but little cooking2 a few minutes' broiling 7 la ,maintenon is best71 with butter1 pepper1 and salt1 is sufficient4 ,it may also be delicately fried with bread crumbs1 or stewed in white sauce4 ,the flesh of this mushroom is perhaps lighter of digestion than that of any other4 ,,cantharellus ,,cibarius4 ,,plate ,,viii4 ,,fig4 #a4 ,tribe ,,mesopus4 ,subdivision ,,agaricini1 ,fries4 8,sunt qui hunc perniciosum scripsere4 ,verum etiam latranti stomacho eum comedi2 atque ex eo pulmenta parantur1 qu si aridis mortuorum oribus admovcantur peream ni reviviscerent60--,batt4 8,jure inter sapidissimos fungos numeratur40--,fries4 ,no fungus is more popular than the above1 though the merits--nay1 the very existence--of such a fungus at home is confined to the ,freemasons1 who keep the secret6 ,having collected a quantity at ,tunbridge ,wells1 this summer1 and given them to the cook at the ,calverley ,hotel to dress1 ,i learnt from the waiter that they were not novelties to him2 that1 in fact1 he had been in the habit of dressing them for years1 on state occasions1 at the ,freemasons' ,tavern4 ,they were generally fetched1 so he said1 from1 the neighbourhood of ,chelmsford1 and were always well paid for4 ,of the ,cantharellus1 this summer 7#ahdg71 the supplies were immense6 the moss under the beech-trees in ,buckhurst ,park in particular1 was so lavish of them1 that a hamper might soon have been filled1 had there been hands to gather them4 ,on revisiting the same park about five weeks later1 they were still continuing to come up1 but in less abundance4 ,the botanical characters of the ,cantharellus are as follow3-- ,when young1 its stalk is tough1 white1 and solid2 but as it grows this becomes hollow and presently changes to yellow2 tapering below1 it is effused into the substance of the pileus1 which is of the same colour with it4 ,the pileus is lobed1 and irregular in shape1 its margin at first deeply involute1 afterwards when expanded1 wavy4 ,the veins or plaits are thick1 subdistant1 much sinuated1 running some way down the stalk4 ,the flesh is white1 fibrous1 dense1 8having the odour of apricots0 7,purton71 or of 8plums0 7,vitt474 ,the colour yellow1 that of the yolk of eggs1 is deeper on the under surface2 when raw it has the pungent taste of pepper2 the spores which are elliptic1 are of a pallid ochre colour 7,vitt474#afh ,the ,chantarelle grows sometimes sporadically1 sometimes in circles or segments of a circle1 and may be found from ,june to ,october4 ,at first it assumes the shape of a minute cone2 next1 in consequence of the rolling in of the margin1 the pileus is almost spherical1 but as this unfolds1 it becomes hemispherical1 then flat1 at length irregular and depressed4 8,this fungus10 observes ,vittadini1 8being rather dry and tough by nature1 requires a considerable quantity of fluid sauce to cook it properly40 ,the common people in ,italy dry or pickle1 or keep it in oil for winter use4 ,perhaps the best ways of dressing the ,cantharellus are to stew or mince it by itself1 or to combine it with meat or with other funguses4 ,it requires to be gently stewed and a long time to make it tender2 but by soaking it in milk the night before1 less cooking will be requisite4 ,the ,canth4 cibarius is very abundant about ,rome1 where it fetches1 not being in great esteem1 from twopence to twopence halfpenny a pound4 ,,agaricus ,,atramentarius1 ,bull4 ,,plate ,,ix4 ,,figs4 #a ,,and #b4 ,subgenus ,,coprinus1 ,fries4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus fleshy1 campanulate1 margin uneven1 colour greyish1 then light brown1 slightly hairy1 often corrugated1 sometimes scaly in the centre4 ,gills numerous1 deep1 with clear veins1 light brown1 black in age1 the edges grey or white1 free1 obtuse behind4 ,stem about four inches high1 swollen at the base1 piped1 juicy1 fibrous1 marked with bands4 ,this is a common fungus in gardens1 waste corners of fields1 and lanes1 and occasionally growing on stumps of trees in such situations3 it is gregarious and cspitose1 and occurs both in spring and autumn4 ,young specimens afford a fine ketchup4 ,,agaricus ,,comatus4 ,,plate ,,vii4 ,,figs4 #a1 #b1 ,,and #c4 ,subgenus ,,coprinus1 ,fries4 8,a fungus in great request about ,via ,reggio and ,lucca40--,puccinelli4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus cylindrical1 breaking up into long scales1 campanulate1 epidermis thin1 flesh thick in the centre1 very thin and stringy at the margins4 ,gills numerous1 quite free1 leaving a space round the top of the stem4 ,stem from four to five inches high1 rather bulbous at the base1 stuffed with fibres1 brittle1 ring moveable4 ,this fungus may be found from early spring till late in the autumn1 in meadows and waste places4 ,when used for making ketchup or for the table1 only young specimens should be selected4 ,,agaricus ,,heterophyllus1 ,fries4 ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,figs4 #c ,,and #d4 ,subgenus ,,russula1 ,scopoli4 ,,mild ,,russul4 ,,russul ,,mites1 ,,auct4 8,non meno sicuro e gustoso del ,cesareo e del l'orcino40--,vitt4 ,it is of the utmost importance that those who gather funguses for the table1 should be accurately acquainted with the different species composing this genus2 its members are so abundantly distributed2 some of them form so excellent and delicate a food1 whilst others produce such deleterious effects on the economy1 that they are well entitled to a diligent and careful attention4 ,the limits of this work will not permit an accurate discrimination of all the species1 which would require a long monograph to themselves2 but ,i have endeavoured to point out amidst those of most frequent occurrence1 the three which may be selected with profit for the table1 and some others which are nearly allied1 from which we must be careful to separate them4 ,the three mild-flavoured ,russul are the ,ag4 heterophyllus1 ,ag4 ruber1 and ,ag4 virescens2 the botanical characters of the first are as follows3-- ,ag4 heterophyllus4 ,pileus subirregular1 from three and a half to four and a half inches across1 at first convex1 then more or less excavated towards the centre2 for the most part smooth1 the epidermis covering it1 more or less moist1 never scored or fissured1 but exhibiting a continuous surface1 marked by very small raised lines1 radiating as from the centre1 and frequently crossing so as to present a very minute finely reticulated meshwork1 sometimes slightly zoned1 adhering to the flesh of the pileus1 which peels away with it in flakes resembling asbestos4 ,it is very various in colour1 being found of all shades of yellow1 lilac1 azure1 green1 and sometimes a mixture of these in different parts4 ,the margin even1 i4 e4 not striate1 irregularly elevated and depressed4 ,the gills are watery white1 rather numerous and thick1 ascending1 tapering away at their stalk extremity1 rather broader at the other1 some simple but many of them forked at the base1 in a few instances branched2 the imperfect gills very few1 irregular1 occasionally broadly adhering to the side of a perfect gill2 the stalk naked1 variable as to length and size1 equal or attenuated slightly at the base1 white like spermaceti1 externally rugulose1 and meshed1 like the pileus1 with minute meandering lines1 internally stuffed with a compact subfriable medullary substance1 which1 as the fungus grows old1 breaks up here and there into sinuses which gradually coalesce1 till at last the whole stem becomes hollow4 ,the parenchyma is compact1 but not thick1 and does not change colour when cut4 ,the spores white1 round1 and very abundant4 ,the taste sweet and nutty4 ,odour none4 ,this excellent fungus1 which ,vittadini pronounces to be not surpassed for fineness of flavour by ,am4 ,csarea or by ,b4 edulis1 with either of which it is equally wholesome1 has been introduced by ,roques into the houses of many of his friends in the environs of ,paris1 some of whom prefer it to ,ag4 campestris3 an opinion shared by several of our own friends on this side the ,channel4 ,it grows in great abundance during the summer months generally1 and this year nowhere more plentifully than under the ,elm-trees in ,kensington ,gardens4 ,there must be no delay in dressing it1 otherwise insects1 who are as fond of it as we are1 appropriate it to their larv1 which in a few hours will utterly consume it2 the flesh1 being very tender1 requires but slight cooking4 ,agaricus ruber1 ,schffer4 ,ag4 griseus1 ,persoon4 8,l',agarico ,rosso uno dei funghi pi delicati e gustosi che si conoscono40--,vitt4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus rather fleshy1 at first hemispherical1 then obtusely convex1 and1 when fully expanded1 more or less excavated towards the centre4 ,the margins at first even1 at length tuberculo-sulcate1 that is1 marked with lines similar to those left on the skin after cupping4 ,the epidermis dry in dry weather1 but very sticky in moist1 of various hues1 tawny-purple1 olive-green1 ochraceous-yellow1 or several of these united1 and generally darkest at the centre2 peeling off readily without laceration of the flesh4 ,the flesh white1 when cut slightly rufescent1 when dry cream-coloured4 ,the gills fragile1 cream-coloured1 connected below by transverse plaits or veins1 thick and broad1 but tapering away towards the stalk1 really simple1 though a few imperfect gills interposed between the entire ones1 and attaching themselves to their sides give these sometimes the appearance of being forked2 the stalk equal1 white1 or blotched here and there with purple stains1 stuffed1 brittle1 and ,vittadini adds1 8long10 which is not my experience of it2 when young it is so short as to be entirely hid by the globose head of the unexpanded pileus4 ,the flesh inconsiderable but compact2 sporules pale-buff4 ,the ,ag4 ruber1 the ,colombo rossa of the ,tuscans1 and ,rother ,tubling of ,schffer1 is a complete wood-pigeon in its haunts2 it grows very abundantly1 may be gathered from ,july to a very late period in the autumn1 and is as delicate and light of digestion as the ,russula last described4 ,it may be readily distinguished from ,ag4 alutaceus by the different colour of its gills and spores1 which in that species are buff1 but in the ,ag4 ruber cream-coloured3 moreover the greater thickness of the substance of the pileus of ,ag4 alutaceus1 the margin of which is deeply sulcate1 even at an early period of its development1 and the pungent acrid taste1 which is seldom wanting1 are further means of distinguishing it from ,ag4 ruber4 ,ag4 emeticus differs from it in having unequal snow-white gills1 and in extreme acrimony of taste4 ,agaricus virescens1 ,schff43 the ,verdette8 ,ag4 bifidus1 ,bull4 ,russula ruginosa1 ,persoon4 8,la carne di questo ,agarico tenera e di sapore gratissimo40--,vitt4 ,pileus at first flatly convex2 at length depressed towards the centre with an even margin2 epidermis whitish1 fibrous1 continuous and firmly adhering to the flesh1 dry1 but coated over with a thick stratum of opaque meal1 which gradually breaking as the pileus expands maps it in a singular and quite characteristic manner with a series of irregular polygonal figures1 in greater or less relief according to the thickness of the coating2 its colour varies slightly but is generally made up of some admixture of green and yellow1 communicating to the surface1 as ,bulliard has remarked1 a farinaceous or mouldy appearance4 ,the gills of some thickness1 very brittle1 white1 sublanceolate1 generally simple1 but occasionally forked1 the imperfect gills interspersed without order amongst the entire ones2 the stalk equal1 short1 its centre stuffed with cottony fibres3 somewhat compact and elastic4 ,according to ,thore1 as quoted by ,persoon1 this ,agaric may be cultivated4#afi ,it is an exceedingly delicate fungus1 but not very common in ,england4 ,the best way of cooking it1 according to ,vittadini1 is on the gridiron2 the peasants about ,milan are in the habit of putting it over wood embers to toast1 eating it afterwards with a little salt1 in which way it has a savoury smell1 and a taste like that of the ,cancer astacus2 when fresh it is without odour1 but acquires a very strong one while drying1 which he compares to that of salt meat4 ,mr4 ,berkeley quotes ,roques' authority as to its being eaten in ,france2 ,vittadini1 without giving any authority1 states that it is eaten in ,england4 ,it loses but little of its volume in drying4 ,,acrid ,,russul4 ,,russul ,,acres1 ,,auct4 ,agaricus alutaceus1 ,persoon4 ,three acrid ,russul remain to be described1 ,ag4 alutaceus1 ,ag4 emeticus1 ,ag4 sanguineus2 all three common1 though not perhaps so common as the mild ones1 and all to be avoided4 ,the first1 ,a4 alutaceus1 ,fries1 is ranked by ,vittadini among the safe kinds1 he even affixes a misplaced note of admiration after his epithet 8esculentus60 and describes it even when raw as 8a dainty food1 possessed of a most agreeable flavour40 ,mr4 ,berkeley1 who reports it esculent when young1 remarks that individual specimens occur1 which prove almost as acrid as the ,ag4 emeticus itself2 my own experience of it in ,england is1 that whether young or old1 it is always acrid when raw4#agj ,i have never tried it dressed1 which might possibly extract its noxious qualities1 as ,vittadini reports to have been the case with a caustic variety which he subjected to this test2 but since even then1 on his own showing1 it proved indigestible1 ,i would advise no one to try this species1 especially when there are so many others1 the good qualities of which are known4 ,it is easy to distinguish ,a4 alutaceus from any of the foregoing species2 to do this it is only necessary to look at the gills1 which1 in place of being1 as in these1 white1 watery white1 or cream-coloured1 are of a rich buff2 pileus about three inches broad1 pink or livid olive1 smooth on the surface1 and viscid in wet weather2 the margin at first even1 but in age striate2 the gills broad1 equal1 slightly forked1 ventricose1 free1 connected by veins2 the sporules rich buff2 the stem one and a half inches long1 blunt1 surface longitudinally wrinkled or grooved1 solid without1 spongy within1 varying from white to buff4 ,agaricus emeticus1 ,schffer4 ,reports concerning the qualities of this fungus differ widely1 some asserting it to be a most deleterious species1 of which the mischief was not to be removed by cooking1 whilst others1 on the authority of dogs whom they persuaded to eat some1 pronounced it innoxious4 ,in this state of uncertainty ,vittadini1 for the sake of science1 and peradventure of adventure also1 determined to test its effects upon himself2 he had previously given at different times large doses1 of from six to twelve ounces1 to dogs1 both in the crude state and also cooked2 but without result4 8,still10 says he1#aga 8thinking that though dogs might eat ,ag4 emeticus with impunity1 it might yet prove injurious to man1 ,i took five specimens of fair dimensions1 and having fried1 ,i ate them with the usual condiments2 but though pains were taken to have them delicately prepared 7oltimamente cucinati71 they still retained their acrid bitter taste1 and were most distasteful to the palate40 ,the reader will be glad to learn1 that the only inconvenience suffered by this bold self-experimentalist was a slight sense of prcordial uneasiness accompanied with flatulence1--effects attributable entirely1 as he believed1 to the rich mode in which his dish was prepared3 though1 more timid apparently for others' safety than his own1 he particularly adds1 8though ,i have clearly established to my own satisfaction1 the complete innocuousness of the ,a4 emeticus2 still1 as there are1 or are said to be1 other ,russul of highly deleterious properties and closely allied1 the mistaking which for it might be paid for by the loss of life1 the safer rule is to abstain from all such as have acrid juices40 ,the botanical characters of ,ag4 emeticus are as follow3-- ,pileus more or less rosy1 flesh compact1 margin striate1 epidermis adherent2 gills very brittle1 arched in front1 attenuated towards the stalk1 connected below by transverse plaits1 generally simple1 a few forked1 the imperfect gills rounded off behind2 the stalk1 which is compact1 of equal dimensions1 and white1 is generally more or less stained with red spots of the same hue as the pileus2 in the growing fungus1 where the epidermis has been removed and the flesh eaten by insects1 this soon acquires a tint as lively as that of the skin itself2 generally ,i have remarked that the erosions of insects and slugs do not produce any change of colour1 even in the species notorious under other circumstances for manifesting such a change2 thus the flesh of the ,ag4 rubescens1 which turns red when it is divided1 may be frequently seen half eaten through1 exhibiting a white flesh2 and the same is the case with the ,boletus luridus1 the flesh of which1 though eroded1 remains white till it is broken through4 ,ag4 sanguineus1 ,bull4 ,this fungus1 of which the general facies and most of the botanical characters1 as well as the taste and other qualities1 are similar to those of the last-mentioned ,agaric1 differs from it in having its gills for the most part forked1 many smaller ones being interposed between those that are entire1 also in not having its margin striate1 as the ,ag4 emeticus when moderately expanded always has4 ,the smell of this fungus1 which is only developed in drying1 is1 according to ,vittadini1 8most agreeable10 resembling that of fresh meal2 to me its odour is unpleasant and like that of sour paste4 ,ag4 acris minor4 ,pileus one or two inches across1 sticky1 of a light muddy-pink1 the epidermis peeling off easily and entire from the flesh1 margin not striate1 flesh soft1 white1 and cellular2 gills adnate1 white1 forked1 brittle1 slightly ventricose2 the margin subdenticulate2 the stalk of spermaceti-whiteness and appearance1 solid within1 brittle1 the internal texture looser than the external2 the surface minutely rugulose1 #a-a inch1 by #b-d lines thick1 intensely acrid4 ,in meadows1 throughout the summer2 abundant4 ,,agaricus ,,ostreatus1 ,jacq4 ,,plate ,x4 ,subgenus ,,pleuropus1 ,persoon4 ,subdivision ,,concharia1 ,fries4 8,l',ag4 ostreato viene giustamente per la sua bont ed innocenza amesso tra i funghi commestibili1 de' quali pure permessa la vendita sulle pubbliche piazze40--,vitt4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,cispitose4#agb ,pileus fleshy1 smooth1 blackish1 then cinereous1 at length paler2 epidermis strongly adherent1 flesh fibrous1 moderately firm2 gills anastomosing behind1 not glandular1 white2 stem sublateral or wanting4 ,on dead trees4#agc ,season1 spring and autumn4 ,as there are some singular differences presented by this fungus in regard to development1 odour1 taste1 and the colour of the spores1 which seem almost sufficient to entitle it to be divided into two distinct species1 ,i shall first describe the more ordinary form1 as given by ,mr4 ,berkeley1 and then mention the variations from it4 8,imbricated1 large2 pileus subdimidiate1 very thick and fleshy2 flesh white1 dusky towards the surface2 one inch deep1 the border at first fibrillose2 margin involute1 as the pileus expands the white fibrill vanish1 and the colour changes to bistre2 margin paler and rimulose1 the whole surface shining and satiny when dry1 soft and clammy when moist2 gills broad1 here and there forked10#agd standing out sharp and erect like the fine flutings of a column1 winding down the stalk to different lengths1 and those that reach the bottom forming there a beautiful raised meshwork highly characteristic of this species1 8dirty 7pure87 white1 the edge serrated1 umber2 taste and smell like that of ,ag4 personatus1 which it resembles somewhat in colour20 8spores white like those of the ,polyporus suaveolens40#age ,the points of difference in those which departed from the ordinary type were as follows3#agf--;first1 in specimens growing close together and all equally exposed to the light1 the colour of all at the same period of growth was not the same1 being a delicate waxy-white in some of the specimens1 in others1 a light-brown4 ,secondly1 whereas this fungus is generally 8invested during infancy with a white lanugo or down10#agg ,i observed the young ,agarics1 which presented themselves at first as small semitransparent eminences rising irregularly from a common stalk1 and not unlike in appearance the blisters on a chalcedony1 to be thickly coated with a light-blue varnish in place of it2 the dry dbris of which varnish continued to adhere to the surface of the pileus for some time afterwards4 ,thirdly1 the complexion of the spores1 commonly described as white1 was in these specimens pale-rose4 ,fourthly1 they exhaled the strong and peculiar odour of ,tarragon2 and1 finally1 in place of being the delicate fungus at table which in ,july ,i had always found it1 these specimens afforded a distasteful food4 ,the ,ag4 ostreatus resists cold in a remarkable manner2 the circumstance of its being found in winter has procured for it the trivial name of ,gelon4 ,ag4 ostreatus is found on the barks of many sorts of trees1 and wherever it has once been it is apt to recur frequently afterwards4 ,it may be dressed in any of the more usual ways2 but as the flesh is rather over-solid and tenacious1 it is all the better for being cooked leisurely over a slow fire4 ,,agaricus ,,rubescens1 ,persoon4 ,,plate ,,xi4 ,,figs4 #c1 #d1 ,,and #e4 ,subgenus #a4 ,,amanita4 8,non altrimenti del ,cesareo delicato e sano40--,vitt4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus covered with warts of different sizes2 margins even1 convex1 flesh turns obscurely red when cut or bruised1 slightly moist and shining2 gills attenuated behind2 stem at first stuffed1 in age becoming hollow1 bulbous1 sometimes scaly2 ring wide1 marked with stri2 spores nearly elliptical2 smell strong2 taste not unpleasant4 ,this is a very delicate fungus1 which grows in sufficient abundance to render it of importance in a culinary point of view4 ,it makes excellent ketchup4 ,cordier reports it as one of the most delicate mushrooms of the ,lorraine2 and ,roques speaks equally well of it4 ,it generally grows in woods1 particularly of oak and chestnut1 both in summer and autumn4 ,no fungus is more preyed upon than this by mice1 snails1 and insects4 ,,morchella ,,esculenta1 ,dill4 ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,figs4 #f ,,and #g4 ,tribe #c4 ,,mitrati4 ,morell4 8,sommamente ricercata10--,vitt4 ,every one knows the ,morell1 that expensive luxury which the rich are content to procure at great cost from our ,italian warehouses1 and the poor are fain to do without4 ,it is less generally known that this fungus1 though by no means so common with us as some others1 7a circumstance partly attributable to the prevailing ignorance as to when and where to look for it1 or even of its being indigenous to ,england1#agh7 occurs not unfrequently in our orchards and woods1 towards the beginning of summer4 ,roques reports favourably of some specimens sent to him by the ,duke of ,athol2 and others1 from different parts of the country1 occasionally find their way into ,covent ,garden market4 ,the genus ,morchella comprises very few species1 and they are all good to eat4 ,persoon remarks1 that though the ,morell rarely appears in a sandy soil1 preferring a calcareous or argillaceous ground1 it frequently springs up on sites where charcoal has been burnt or where cinders have been thrown4 ,morchella esculenta4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus very various in shape and hue1 the surface broken up into little sinuses or cells1 made by folds or plaits of the hymenium1 which are more or less salient1 and constitute the so-called ribs4 ,these ribs are very irregular1 and anastomose with each other throughout2 the pileus hollow1 opening into the irregular hollow stem4 ,spores pale-yellow4 ,morchella semilibera4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,this may be known from the ,m4 esculenta by being1 as its name imports1 half free1 i4 e4 having the pileus for half its length detached from the stalk4 ,spores are pale-yellow4 ,odour1 at first feeble1 becomes stronger in drying4 ,occurring less frequently than the last1 and much less sapid4 ,neither of these funguses should be gathered after rain1 as they are then insipid and soon spoil4#agi ,m4 ,roques says the ,morell may be dressed in a variety of ways1 both fresh and dry1 with butter or in oil1 au gras or la crme4 ,the following receipts for cooking them are from ,persoon4 #ast4 ,having washed and cleansed them from the earth which is apt to collect between the plaits1 dry thoroughly in a napkin1 and put them into a saucepan with pepper1 salt1 and parsley1 adding or not a piece of ham2 stew for an hour1 pouring in occasionally a little broth to prevent burning2 when sufficiently done1 bind with the yolks of two or three eggs1 and serve on buttered toast4 #bnd4 ,morelles l',italienne4--,having washed and dried1 divide them across1 put them on the fire with some parsley1 scallion1 chervil1 burnet1 tarragon1 chives1 a little salt1 and two spoonfuls of fine oil4 ,stew till the juice runs out2 then thicken with a little flour2 serve with bread-crumbs and a squeeze of lemon4 #crd4 ,stuffed ,morells4--,choose the freshest and whitest ,morells1 open the stalk at the bottom2 wash and wipe them well1 fill with veal stuffing1 anchovy1 or any rich farce you please1 securing the ends1 and dressing between thin slices of bacon4 ,serve with a sauce like the last4#ahj ,,hydnum ,,repandum1 ,linn4 ,,plate ,,viii4 ,,figs4 #c ,,and #d4 ,subgenus ,,mesopus1 ,fries4 8,the general use made of this fungus throughout ,france1 ,italy1 and ,germany leaves no doubt as to its good qualities40--,roques4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus fleshy1 tawny1 red1 smoothly tomentose1 very irregular in shape1 from two to five inches across1 lobed or undulated2 margin vaulted1 acute1 wavy2 flesh white1 turning yellow when cut1 if bruised becoming brown-red2 spines pale-yellow1 unequal1 thick-set1 apices canino-denticulate or conical1 straight or slightly ungulate2 occasionally bifid2 shorter and more obtuse towards the stalk1 on the upper part of which they are somewhat decurrent1 leaving small foraminules when detached2 stem at first white1 then tawny2 two inches long1 solid1 of variable thickness 7from half an inch to two inches7 more or less flattened1 papillated above with the rudiments of spines which have aborted2 spores round1 white1 taste when raw at first pleasant1 but presently of a saline bitter1 like ,glauber salts1 somewhat peppery1 and smell like that of horse-radish4 ,this fungus occurs principally in woods1 and especially in those of pine and oak2 sometimes solitary1 but more frequently in company and in rings4 ,in ,italy 7where the spines have procured for it the name of 8,steccherino10 or ,hedgehog71 it is brought into the market and sold promiscuously with the ,chantarelle1 to which in colour and in some other respects it bears a resemblance4 ,there is no fungus with which this is likely to be confounded2 once seen1 it is recognized at a glance afterwards1 and may be gathered fearlessly4 ,according to ,paulet1 ,persoon1 and ,vittadini1 the ,hyd4 repandum should be cooked for a long time1 and with plenty of sauce1 otherwise1 being deficient in moisture1 it is apt to become rather tough2 when well stewed it is an excellent dish1 with a slight flavour of oysters2 it makes also a very good pure4 ,vittadini places it among the most delicate of the funguses of ,italy4 ,,fistulina ,,hepatica1 ,fries4 ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,figs4 #a ,,and #b4 8,fungus pauperibus esculentus40--,schff4 ,this fungus1 which1 in the earlier stages of its development1 frequently resembles very closely a tongue in shape1 structure1 and general appearance1 presents later a dark1 amorphous1 grumous-looking mass1 bearing a still more striking likeness to liver4 ,thus1 seen while young1 and just beginning to bud out from the oak1#aha its papillated surface1 regular shape1 and clear fibrous flesh make it an object of interest to many who1 introduced to it at an advanced period of growth1 can hardly be brought to believe that the blackened misshapen mass1 that looks like liver1 and that deeply stains the fingers with an unsightly red fluid1 can indeed be the same plant4 ,it has1 from the earliest-recorded accounts1 been designated by names pointing to these resemblances3 ,cesalpinus calls it ,lingu2 ,wallemb1 ,buglossus quercinus2 the vulgar name in ,italy is 8,lingua quercina10 or 8,lingua di castagna40 ,it constitutes a genus by itself4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus confluent with the stalk3 at first studded on the upper side with minute papill 7the rudiments of tubes71 which afterwards disappear2 flesh succulent1 fibrous1 like beetroot in appearance1 with a vinous smell and a slight acid taste2 tubes continuous with the fibres of the receptacle1 unequal1 very short1 small1 cylindrical1 ochraceous-rufescent2 at first with closed pores1 but as they elongate they become patent2 colour at first a dry dusky white1 afterwards a yellowish-red2 the whole surface more or less sticky1 with a gelatinous secretion exuding from it2 sporidia ochraceous-green1 and matured at different times from the unequal length of the tubes4 ,this fungus varies in size from that of a small kidney to an irregular mass of many pounds' weight1 and of several feet in circumference4 ,i recently picked a specimen which measured nearly five feet round1 and weighed upwards of eight pounds2 but this is nothing to one found by ,mr4 ,graves1 which1 on the authority of ,mr4 ,berkeley1 weighed nearly thirty pounds4 ,the ,fistulina hepatica1 which ,schffer calls the ,poor ,man's fungus1 8fungus pauperibus esculentus10 deserves indeed the epithet if we look to its abundance1 which makes it an acquisition to the labouring class wherever it is known2 but that it is in any other sense fitted for the poor1 or to be eaten by those only who can purchase no other food1 is what ,i cannot subscribe to4 ,no fungus yields a richer gravy1 and though rather tough1 when grilled it is scarcely to be distinguished from broiled meat4 ,the best way to dress it if old1 is to stew it down for stock1 and reject the flesh1 but if young1 it may be eaten in substance1 plain1 or with minced meat2 in all cases its succulency is such that it furnishes its own sauce1 which a friend of ours1 well versed in the science of the table1 declares each time he eats it to be 8undeniably good40 ,in ,england the ,f4 hepatica grows principally on old oak-trees1 and may be found throughout the summer in great abundance4 ,,agaricus ,,orcella1#ahb ,bull4 ,,plate ,,xi4 ,,figs4 #a ,,and #b4 ,section ,,mouceron1 ,fries4 8,senza dubbio uno de' migliori funghi indigeni40--,vitt4 8,esculentus60--,ibid4 ,this is a very delicate mushroom2 it grows either solitary or in company1 and sometimes in rings1 succeeding occasionally a crop of ,ag4 oreades and ,ag4 prunulus which had recently occupied the same site4 ,its general appearance1 once recognized1 is such as to render the mistaking it for any other species afterwards unlikely1 whilst the least attention to its botanical characters makes it impossible to do so4 ,its irregular lobed pileus with smooth undulated borders1 its decurrent gills1 and short solid stem are so many particulars in which at first it might seem to resemble in outline the ,canth4 cib41 with which it has1 however1 nothing else in common4 ,it bears a nearer general resemblance to several of the section ,lactifluus of ,persoon1 but the exudation1 or not1 of milk would be conclusive in any doubtful case1 to say nothing of its peculiar smell of cucumber rind1 or syringa leaf1#ahc in which respect it resembles no other fungus4 ,the surface is as soft and smooth to the touch as kid1 except in wet weather1 when it becomes more or less sticky2 the size1 which does not admit of much variation1 is from two to three inches across2 whilst young the borders are rolled inwards towards the gills1 the stalk is in the centre1 and somewhat enlarged at the base2 but as the fungus grows the borders unroll themselves1 one side grows more rapidly than the other1 the stalk becomes1 in consequence1 eccentric1 and this eccentricity is often rendered greater by a lateral twist towards the base4 ,the gills1 which at first are white1 assume later a pale salmon hue2 ,berkeley adds that 8they are more or less forked1 covered with very minute conical papill ending in four spicul20 those that are entire taper away posteriorly and terminate on the stalk1 but the imperfect ones are rounded off midway2 the spores are elliptic1 and of the colour of brown-holland4#ahd ,this mushroom is found occasionally1 throughout the summer1 but autumn is the season to look for it1 amidst the grass of woods and pastures1 where it abounds4 ,it should be eaten the day it is gathered1 either stewed1 broiled1 or fried with egg and bread-crumbs1 like cutlets4 ,when dried1 it loses much of its volume and acquires 8a very sweet smell10--8un' aroma suavissimo0 7,vitt474 ,,helvella ,,crispa1 ,fries4 ,,helvella ,,lacunosa1 ,afz4 ,tribe ,,mitrati1 ,fries4 8,pu essere con vantaggio raccolta ed agli stessi usi delle spugniole destinata40--,vitt4 ,all ,helvell are esculent1 have an agreeable odour1 and bear a general resemblance in flavour to the ,morell4 ,the ,helvella crispa1 or pallid ,helvella of ,scopoli and ,fries1 is1 it seems1 8not uncommon10#ahe and the ,helvella lacunosa1 or cinereous ,helvella of ,afzel 7on each of whose heads respectively ,sowerby and ,schffer place an inappropriate mitre71 are both indigenous4 ,they are thus succinctly but excellently described by ,mr4 ,berkeley4 ,helvella crispa1 ,fries4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus whitish1 flesh-coloured or yellowish1 deflexed1 lobed1 free1 crisped1 pallid2 stem fistulose1 costato-lacunose1 #c-e inches high1 snowy-white1 deeply lacunose and ribbed1 the ribs hollow4 ,helvella lacunosa1 ,afzel4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus inflated1 lobed1 cinereous1#ahf lobes deflexed1 adnate1 stem fistulose1 costato-lacunose2 stem white or dusky4 ,this ,helvella is not so common as the last1 neither is it so sapid4 ,they both grow in woods and on the stumps of old trees4 ,bendiscioli places them1 for flavour1 before the ,morell1 but this is not the general opinion entertained of them4 ,helvella esculenta1 ,pers4 ,,plate ,,xii4 ,,figs4 #c1 #d1 ,,and #e4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus inflated1 irregular1 undulated1 gyroso-rugose1 of a rich dark-brown colour1 margin united with the stem2 stem white or dusky4 ,in plantations of fir and chestnut adjoining ,weybridge ,heath1 in ,surrey4 ,it has not yet been found elsewhere in ,britain4 ,,verpa ,,digitaliformis1 ,persoon4 ,,peziza ,,acetabulum1 ,linn4 ,tribe ,,cupulati4 ,these funguses are very similar in their properties to the ,helvell2 that is1 are not to be despised when one cannot get better1 nor to be eaten when one can4 8,the ,verpa10 says ,vittadini1 8though sold in the market1 is only to be recommended when no other esculent fungus offers1 which is sometimes the case in spring40 ,the ,peziza acetabulum is utterly insipid1 and depends entirely for flavour upon the sauce in which it is served4 ,as they are rare in ,england1 ,i shall merely give the botanical character of each4 ,verpa digitaliformis1 ,persoon4 ,pileus campanulate1 three-quarters of an inch high1 more or less closely pressed to the stem1 but always free1 wrinkled1 but not reticulated1 under side slightly pubescent1 sporidia yellowish1 elliptic1 stem three inches high1 half an inch thick1 equal or slightly attenuated downwards1 loosely stuffed1 by no means hollow1 transversely squamulose4#ahg ,season1 spring4 ,peziza acetabulum1 ,linn4 ,series ,aleuria1 ,section ,helvella1 ,fries4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,deeply cup-shaped1 two inches broad1 one and a half deep1 externally floccose1 light-umber1 darker within1 mouth puckered1 tough2 stem half to one inch high1 smooth1 deeply but irregularly costato-lacunose1 ribs solid 8branching at the top and forming reticulations on the outside of the cup1 so as to present the appearance of a cluster of pillars supporting a font or roof1 with fret-work between them0 7,berkeley74 ,season1 spring4 ,,polyporus ,,frondosus1 ,schrank4 ,,plate ,,iv4 ,,fig4 #a4 ,there are many species of ,polyporus eaten on the ,continent2 among the more common kinds to be mentioned are ,p4 frondosus and ,p4 tuberaster1 ,persoon1 ,p4 corylinus1 ,mauri1 ,p4 subsquamosus1 ,pers41 ,p4 giganteus1 ibid41 ,p4 fomentarius1 ibid41 which last is the ,amadou1 or ,german tinder fungus4 ,two of these are local2 the ,p4 tuberaster1 which occurs principally in the kingdom of ,naples1 and the ,p4 corylinus or that of the cob-nut tree1 which 7though it might perhaps be cultivated elsewhere7 is at present restricted to ,rome2 both these are excellent for food4 ,as to the ,polyporus squamosus1 which is as common in ,england as abroad1 in substance it cannot be masticated1 and its expressed juice is exceedingly disagreeable2 ,i should not think the ,p4 fomentarius1 to judge from its texture1 promised much better2 nor ,p4 giganteus1 of which the flesh is sometimes so tough as to creak under the knife4 ,the true ,p4 frondosus is probably rare in ,england1 that which ,i have met with and have had cooked1 without being able to say much in its favour1 is the ,p4 intybaceus of ,fries1 which ,mr4 ,berkeley says is distinguished from the other by having larger pores4 ,vittadini has not included it among the esculent funguses in his work2 ,persoon does not recommend it for weak stomachs on account of its toughness4#ahh ,paulet1 indeed1 is of a different opinion1 telling us that in place of its being heavy for the stomach1 he will feel all the lighter who sups upon it4 ,the people in the ,vosges seem to have an equal affection for it with this writer1 giving it the somewhat whimsical1 though really most graphic sobriquets of the ,hen-of-the-,woods and the ,breeding ,hen 7,mougeot74 ,professor ,sanguinetti informs me that it sells for six or seven baiocchi in the ,roman market1 the finer specimens being sent as surprise presents1 8per meraviglia10 from poor tenants to hard landlords4 ,bot4 ,char4 8,pilei very numerous1 dimidiate1 condensed into a convex tuft from half a foot to a foot broad1 imbricated1 variously confluent1 irregular1 at first downy1 dusky1 then smooth1 livid grey2 disk depressed1 dilated above1 from half to one inch broad1 convex1 the base confluent with the compound stem0 7,fries74 ,,clavaria ,,coralloides1 ,linn4 ,,plate ,v4 ,,fig4 #c4 ,subgenus ,,ochrosporea1 ,fries4 8,esculenta deliciosa40--,vitt4 ,all the funguses of this genus being esculent1 enter more or less largely into the supplies of the ,italian markets4 ,roques describes seven species2 ,persoon five2 ,vittadini gives a detailed account and drawings of three1 selecting those principally for the superiority of their flavour over the rest1 and because of their greater abundance in the ,milanese district4 ,mr4 ,berkeley1 in a list with which he has favoured me1 enumerates four ,british species as esculent1 ,c4 coralloides1 ,c4 grisea1 ,c4 cristata1 and ,c4 rugosa2 as1 however1 he has no personal experience of any of these as articles of food1 ,i shall merely give the botanical character of the ,c4 coralloides1 the most abundant of all the species 7for the excellent qualities of which ,i can myself vouch71 furnishing the reader with one or two drawings of other sorts1 in further illustration of this elegant genus4 ,clavaria coralloides4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus erect1 white2 stem rather thick1 branches unequal1 elongated1 mostly acute1 pure white1 sometimes violet at the base4 ,mode of ,dressing4 ,having thoroughly cleansed away the earth1 which is apt to adhere to them1 they are to be sweated with a little butter1 over a slow fire1 afterwards to be strained1 then 7throwing away the liquor7 to be replaced to stew for an hour1 with salt1 pepper1 chopped chives and parsley1 moistening with plain stock1 and dredging with flour occasionally4 ,when sufficiently cooked1 to be thickened with yolks of eggs and cream4 ,another ,mode4 ,proceed as before2 after sweating the ,clavarias1 wrap them in bacon and stew in a little broth seasoned with salt1 pepper1 parsley1 and ham2 cook for an hour1 then serve in white sauce1 or with a fricasse of chicken4 ,n4,b4--,the saucepan should be covered with a sheet of paper under the lid1 which keeps the ,clavarias white and also preserves their flavour4 ,there can be little doubt that our woods1 properly explored1 would be found to abound in funguses hitherto considered rare1 and this would probably be one of them4 ,at present the weald of ,kent1 within forty miles of ,london1 remains1 so far as ,mycology is concerned1 nearly as unexplored as the interior of ,africa4 ,plate ,v4 fig4 #b1 represents ,clavaria amethystina1 ,bull4 ,plate ,v4 fig4 #e1 represents ,c4 cinerea1 ,bull4 ,plate ,v41 fig4 #f1 represents ,c4 rugosa1 ,bull4 ,,lycoperdon ,,plumbeum1 nob4 ,puff-balls4 ,subdivision ,,gasteromycetes1 ,fries4 ,tribe #c4 ,,trichospermi4 ,family #a4 ,,trichogastres4 ,,genus #a4 ,,lycoperdon1 ,tournef4 8,il ,licoperdo piombino uno dei funghi mangiativi pi delicati che si conoscano4 ,il suo uso pressoch generale40--,vitt4 ,all these more or less spherical white funguses furnished with a membranaceous covering1 and filled when young with a white1 compact1 homogeneous pulp1 which we call ,puff-balls1 are good to eat2 those in most request for the table abroad1 and the best1 have no stem1 i4 e4 no sterile base1 but are prolific throughout their whole substance4 ,one of the most common of these is the ,lycoperdon plumbeum1 of which the following excellent description is chiefly taken from ,vittadini4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,body globose2 when full-grown about the size of a walnut1 invested with two#ahi tunics1 the outer one white1 loosely membranaceous and fragile1 sometimes smooth1 at others furfuraceous2 the innermost one 7peridium7 very tenacious1 smooth1 of a grey-lead colour externally1 internally more or less shaggy with very fine hairs2 these hairs occupy the whole cavity1 and in the midst of them a prodigious number of minute granular bodies1 the sporules 7each of which is furnished with a long caudiform process71 lie entangled4 ,the whole plant1 carefully removed from the earth1 with its root still adhering1 is in form not unlike one of its own seeds vastly magnified4 ,the ,l4 plumbeum abounds in dry places1 and is to be found in spring1 summer1 and autumn1 solitary or in groups4 8,this10 says ,vittadini1 8is one of our commonest ,puff-balls1 and after the warm rains of summer and of autumn1 myriads of these little plants suddenly springing up will often completely cover a piece of ground as if they had been sown like grain1 for a crop2 if we dig them up we shall find that they are connected with long fragile threads1 extending horizontally underground and giving attachment to numerous smaller ,puff-balls in different stages of development1 which1 by continuing to grow1 afford fresh supplies as the old ones die off40 ,,lycoperdon ,,bovista1 ,linn4 ,subdivision ,,gasteromycetes1 ,fries4 ,tribe #c4 ,,trichospermi4 ,family #a4 ,,trichogastres4 8,vescie buone da friggere0 7,tuscan vernacular name74 8,la sua carne candida compatta si presta facilemente a tutte le speculazioni del cuoco40--,vitt4 ,this differs from the last-mentioned ,puff-ball in many particulars2 in the first place it is much larger 7sometimes attaining to vast dimensions71 its shape is different1 being that of an inverted cone2 never globular1 the flesh also is more compact1 while the membrane which holds what is first the pulp and afterwards the seed1 is very thin and tender2 the seed1 moreover1 has no caudal appendage2 and finally1 a considerable portion of the base is sterile1 in all which additional particulars it is unlike the ,lycoperdon plumbeum4 ,the plant is sessile1 a purple-black fragile membrane contains the spores1 which are also sessile1#aij and of the same colour as the peridium4 ,no fungus requires to be eaten so soon after gathering as this2 a few hours will destroy the compactness of the flesh and change its colour from delicate-white to dirty-yellow2#aia but when perfectly fresh and properly prepared1 it yields to no other in digestibility4 ,it may be dressed in many ways1 but the best method is to cut it into slices and fry these in egg and bread-crumbs2 so prepared1 it has the flavour of a rich1 light omelette4#aib ,,agaricus ,,melleus4 ,,plate ,,ix4 ,,fig4 #c4 ,subgenus #c4 ,,amillaria4 ,this is a nauseous1 disagreeable fungus1 however cooked1 and merely finds mention here1 as its omission in a work on the esculent funguses of ,england might seem strange to those unacquainted with its demerits2 it is really extraordinary how some ,continental writers1 speaking from their own experience1 should ever have recommended it for the table4 ,pliny's general apage against all funguses really finds an application to this1 which is so repugnant to our notions of the savoury1 that few would make a second attempt1 or get dangerously far in a first dish4 ,not to be poisonous is its only recommendation2 for as to the inviting epithet melleus1 or honeyed1 by which it is designated1 this alludes only to the colour1 and by no means to the taste1 which is both harsh and styptic4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,in tufts1 near or upon stumps of trees1 or posts4 ,pileus dirty-yellow1 more or less hairy2 stem fibrous1 varying greatly in length1 from one inch to nine or ten2 enlarged above and below1 thinner in the middle2 ring thick1 spreading1 rough or leathery2 gills somewhat decurrent1 deeper than the pileus2 spores white1 appearing like fine dust on the gills4 ,,agaricus ,,ulmarius1 ,bull4 ,subgenus ,,pleuropus4 ,subdivision ,,geritaria4 8,fungo mangiativo sommamente ricercato e di ottima qualit40--,vitt4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,solitary or connected to others by a common root2 the pileus presenting a dirty-white surface1 turning afterwards to a pale rust-colour1 and sometimes tessellated2 varying like all parasitical funguses in shape1 but generally more or less orbicular2 flesh continuous with the stalk1 white1 compact2 stalk very thick1 solid1 elastic1 smooth towards the summit1 tomentose at the base2 gills of a yellowish tint1 broad1 thick1 ventricose1 emarginate1 i4 e4 terminating upon the surface of the stem in a receding angle2 the imperfect gills few2 taste and smell agreeable2 spores white4 ,this ,agaric which takes its name from the tree where it is most commonly found1 grows also1 though less frequently1 on the ,poplar and ,beech4 ,mr4 ,berkeley reports it rare2 perhaps1 however1 as it is eminently local1 it may here1 as in ,italy1 be common in some places though of unfrequent general occurrence4 ,no country being so rich in ,elm-trees as our own1 we should probably find ,a4 ulmarius more often if the height at which it grows among the branches did not frequently screen it from observation4#aic ,though registered in the ,flora of ,tunbridge ,wells1 ,i have not met with a single specimen of it this autumn4 ,this ,agaric dries well and may be kept 7not1 however1 without losing some of its aroma7 for a long time without spoiling2 the gills1 after a time1 assume the same hue as the pileus4 ,,agaricus ,,fusipes1 ,bull4 ,subgenus ,,clytocybe4 ,subdivision ,,chondropodes4 8,il a le mme got quo le ,champignon de ,couche1 quoique un peu plus prononc40--,persoon4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,gregarious2 pileus fleshy1 loose1 of a uniform brown colour1 sometimes marked with dark blotches1 as if burnt2 gills nearly free1 serrated1 at first dirty-white1 afterwards a clear bistre2 easily separable from the stalk2 stalk hollow1 ventricose1 sulcate1 rooting1 spindle-shaped1 slightly grooved1 tapering at the base1 sometimes cracked transversely1 varying singularly both in length and breadth4 ,this excellent fungus is very abundant throughout summer and autumn1 coming up in tufts at the roots of old ,oak-trees after rain4 ,it may be easily recognized by its peculiar spindle-shaped stalk4 ,vittadini does not mention it1 nor does its name occur in the list of esculent funguses in the ,diz4 di ,med4 ,class42 notwithstanding which the young plants make an excellent pickle2 while the full-grown ones may be stewed or dressed in any of the usual modes adopted for the common mushroom4 ,,agaricus ,,vaginatus1 ,bull4 ,series #a4 ,,leucosporus4 ,subgenus #a4 ,,amanita4 8,la ,coucoumle grise 7,ag4 vag47 est une des espces les plus dlicates et les plus sres manger40--,de ,candolle4 ,bot4 ,char4 8,margin of the pileus sulcate1 gills white1 stuffed with cottony pith1 fistulose1 attenuated upwards1 almost smooth2 volva like a sheath4 ,woods and pastures1 ,august and ,october2 not uncommon4 ,pileus four inches or more broad1 plane1 slightly depressed in the centre1 scarcely umbonate1 fleshy1 but not at the extreme margin1 which is elegantly grooved in consequence1 viscid when moist1 beautifully glossy when dry2 epidermis easily detached1 more or less studded with brown scales1 the remnants of the volva1 not persistent2 gills free1 ventricose1 broadest in front1 often imbricated1 white2 sporules white1 round2 stem six inches or more high1 from half to an inch thick1 attenuated upwards1 obtuse at the base1 furnished with a volva1 this adnate below to the extent of an inch1 with the base of the stem1 closely surrounding it above as in a sheath1 but with the margin sometimes expanded2 within and at the base marked with the groovings of the pileus1 brittle1 sericeo-squamulose1 scarcely fibrillose1 but splitting with ease longitudinally1 hollow1 or rather stuffed with fine cottony fibres2 the very base solid1 not acrid1 insipid4 ,smell scarcely any4 ,it occurs of various colours1 the more general one is a mouse-grey0 7,berkeley74 ,the perfect accuracy of the above description will strike every one familiar with this species4 ,vittadini speaks of it as a solitary fungus1 but ,i have found it on more than one occasion in rings4 ,its flesh1 being very delicate and tender1 must not be over-dressed4 ,when properly fried in butter or oil1 and as soon after gathering as possible1 the ,ag4 vaginatus will be found inferior to but few ,agarics in its flavour4 ,,agaricus ,,violaceus1 ,linn4 ,subgenus #ah4 ,,inoloma4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus from four to six inches broad1 obtuse1 expanded1 covered with soft hairs1 colour deep violet2 stem spongy1 grey1 tinged with violet1 minutely downy1 about four inches high2 veil fugacious1 composed of fine threads2 gills deep violet when young1 but turning tawny in age2 flesh thick1 juicy4 ,this is a handsome fungus1 not very common1 but plentiful where it occurs2 it grows in woods1 particularly under ,pine and ,fir trees1 and may be dressed either with a white or a brown sauce4 ,,agaricus ,,castaneus1 ,bull4 ,subgenus #ai4 ,,dermocybe4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus slightly fleshy1 convex when young1 at length umbonate1 chestnut colour1 from one to three inches broad1 glabrous2 gills rather broad1 easily detached from the stem1 ventricose1 changing from light-purple to a ferruginous hue2 stem rather thin1 from one and a half to three inches long1 hollow1 silvery1 light-lilac or white2 veil delicate1 composed of floccose threads2 in taste1 when raw1 it somewhat resembles the ,ag4 oreades1 but it has no smell4 ,this ,agaric may be distinguished from others by its chestnut or bistre colour2 it is probably not uncommon2 growing all the summer and autumn in woods1 and under trees in meadows4 ,mr4 ,berkeley reports it esculent2 ,i have no experience of it4 ,,agaricus ,,piperatus1 ,scop4 ,subgenus #g4 ,,galorrheus4 8,ed veramente commestibile e saporoso quando se ne levi il latte40--,bendiscioli4 ,bot4 ,char4 8,pileus infundibuliform1 rigid1 smooth1 white2 gills very narrow1 close2 milk1 and the solid blunt stem1 white4 ,in woods1 ,july and ,august4 ,pileus #c-g inches broad1 slightly rugulose1 quite smooth1 white1 a little clouded with umber1 or stained with yellow where scratched or bruised1 convex1 more or less depressed1 often quite infundibuliform1 more or less waved1 fleshy1 thick1 firm but brittle2 margin involute at first1 sometimes excentric1 milk-white1 hot4 ,gills generally very narrow 7#a_/bj of an inch broad71 but sometimes much broader1 cream-colour1 repeatedly dichotomous1 very close1 #8like the teeth of an ivory comb1' decurrent from the shape of the pileus1 when bruised changing to umber4 ,stem #a-c inches high1 #a-b inches thick1 often compressed1 minutely pruinose1 solid1 but spongy within1 the substance breaking up into transverse cavities40#aid ,though very acrid when raw1 it loses its bad qualities entirely by cooking1 and is extensively used on the ,continent1 prepared in various ways4 ,it is preserved for winter use by drying or pickling in a mixture of salt and vinegar 7,berkeley74 ,i have frequently eaten this fungus at ,lucca1 where it is very abundant1 but as it resembles the ,ag4 vellereus in appearance1 with the properties of which we are unacquainted1 too much caution cannot be exercised in learning to discriminate it from this and neighbouring species4 ,,agaricus ,,virgineus1 ,wullf4 ,subgenus #h4 ,,clitocybe4 ,subdivision ,,camarophylli4 ,white ,field-,agaric4 ,bot4 ,char4 ,pileus from one to two inches broad1 margin involute when young1 then expanded1 depressed in the centre4 ,gills deep1 connected with veins1 sometimes forked1 broadly adnate1 but breaking away from the stem as the pileus becomes depressed4 ,stem six lines broad at the top1 tapering downwards1 not more than two at the base2 at first stuffed with fibres1 then hollow1 excentric2 the whole plant white1 with occasionally a tinge of pink4 ,taste pleasant1 odour disagreeable4 ,these graceful little ,agarics grow in pastures1 and are extremely common in the autumn4 ,they are so small that it requires a great many of them to make a dish1 but as they occur frequently in the same fields with puff-balls1 and may be dressed in the same manner1 it is not unusual when the supply is scarce to serve them together1 with the same sauce4 ,the flavour of ,ag4 virgineus is not unlike that of ,ag4 oreades4 ,,tuber ,,stivum1 ,vitt4 ,,plate ,,viii4 ,,fig4 #b4 ,peridium warty1 of a blackish-brown colour1 the warts polygonal and striate1 flesh traversed by numerous veins2 asci #d-f-spored2 spores elliptical1 reticulated4 ,this plant1 the common truffle of our markets1 is abundant in ,wiltshire and some other parts of ,england1 and probably occurs in many places where it escapes observation1 from its subterranean habit4 ,,conclusion4 ,italy is not the country for the ,english florist2 he will find twenty times as many petals at home4 ,trim parterres are not inventions of the ,south2 summer-houses would be no luxuries in a climate that never knows winter2 the only ,conservatories that flourish there are not for flowers1 but for music4 ,in few northern regions is ,flora worse off for a bouquet than at ,rome or ,naples2 regarded merely as the herald of ,spring and not appreciated for her own sake1 as soon as she has waved her wand over the land and covered it with the ,march blossoms of ,crocuses1 ,cyclamens1 and ,anemones1 her reign is over4 ,all scents are held in equal abhorrence save those of frankincense and garlic1 for which there seems to be a prescriptive toleration2 but every other odour1 fetid or fragrant1 musk#aie or mignonette1 is equally proscribed2 and an ,italian ,signora would as soon permit a ,locusta to cook for her1 as a violet to scent her boudoir4 ,to pick wild flowers is as dangerous as it is difficult to find cultivated ones2 a coup de soleil or a fever is easily procured by imprudent exposure before sunset1 while the interval between that and night is too brief to be employed for the purpose2 but when the season for flowers is long past1 and ,autumn with her fruits is come round again1 when the stranger can wander forth where he lists without an umbrella1 he will be able to luxuriate amidst the lovely scenery1 and to delight himself in the natural history of the district3 the season of the periodical rains has ceased2 the repose of the forest is no longer troubled by the ,power of the waters2 the mountain ,pines borne for miles down into the valleys are stranded on the broad shingly bed of the exhausted torrent2 broken bridges are safely repaired2 the maize is receiving the last mellowing touches as it festoons the cottage fronts1 the prickly chestnut-pods are beginning to gape and the brown chestnuts to leap out shining from their envelopes2 the last reluctant olive has been beaten from the bough2 the vintage has nearly ceased to bleed2 night fires#aif already begin to nicker on the mountains1 and the hemp stubble is daily crackling on the plain4 ,this is indeed the time for enjoying ,italy2 nature has revived again1 and with nature1 man4 ,the feverish torpor1 ,i had almost ventured to call it the summer hybernation1 has ceased with ,september1 and ,autumn has come round with the vivifying influence of a new ,spring2 then if we go abroad to wander1 whether our walk be across plains or through upland woods1 we shall not stroll a mile without stopping a hundred times to admire what is to many of us a nearly new class of objects which have sprung up suddenly and now beset our path on every side4 ,these are the ,fungus tribe1 which are as beautiful as the fairest flowers1 and more useful than most fruits2 and now that butchers' meat is bad1 that the beans have become stringy1 and the potatoes are hydrated by the rain1 they appear thus opportunely to eke out the scantiness of autumnal larders in the ,south and give a fresh zest to the daily repast4 ,well may their sudden apparition surprise us1 for not ten days since the waters were all out1 and only three or four nights back peals of thunder rattled against the casements and kept the most determined sleepers in awful vigil2 and now--behold the meadows by natural magic studded with countless fairy-rings of every diameter1 formed of such species as grow upon the ground1 while the ,chestnut and the ,oak are teeming with a new class of fruits that had no previous blossoming1 many of which have already attained their full growth4 ,we recollect with gratitude the objects of a pursuit1 which has accidentally brought us to such an acquaintance with the diversities of ,italian scenery as we never should have experienced without it4 ,in fishing1 it is not the fish we catch1 which alone repays us for our toil2 it is the wandering as the rivulet wanders1 8at its own sweet will10 the exercise and the appetite consequent upon it1 the prize in natural history1 the reciting aloud1 or reflecting as we walk1 and when it is pleasantly warm the 8molles sub arbore somni10 which console us for the lack of sport4 ,on the same principle1 mushroom-hunting may be recommended to the young naturalist not only for the beauty of the objects which he is sure to come upon 7if he do but hunt at the right season71 but also because in that most beautiful of months1 whether at home or abroad1 it brings the wanderer out of beaten paths to fall in with many striking views which he would not otherwise have explored4 ,the extremely limited time during which funguses are to be found1 their fragility1 their infinite diversity1 their ephemeral existence1 these1 too1 add to the interest of an autumnal walk in quest of them4 ,at ,lucca1 leaving idleness and indigestion in bed1 just as the sun was beginning to shoot his first rays on the white convents and the spires of the village churches on the mountains1 making morning above1 while the deep valley beneath was still in twilight1 it was pleasant to pass the little opening coffee-house with its two or three candidates for early breakfast1 and crossing the noiseless trout-stream over the little bridge1 to enter one of those old chestnut-forests and begin clambering up the laddery pathway1 to reach the summit just as he poured his full effulgence on the magnificent rival of the ,lucchese and ,modenese territories4 ,pleasant1 too1 was it on the road ,romeward1 pausing a few days to enjoy the exquisite scenery about ,spoleto1 to climb the steep streets to the cathedral1 and thence1 passing the giddy viaduct several hundred feet above the white ravine which it traverses1 to issue upon those ,nursian ,hills then fragrant with the breath of morning1 8le beau matin qui sort humide et ple10 and with the scent of sweet herbs2 but above all other hills renowned for the fragrance of those ever-reproductive mines of coal-black subterranean truffles6 ,it is a pleasant remembrance to have plucked the crimson ,amanite1 that ministered to a ,csar's decease1 in the very neighbourhood of the ,palatine ,hill2 to have collected mushrooms amidst the meadows of ,horace's farm1 where he tells us they grew best2 and to have watched along the moist pastures of the ,cremera a stand of the stately ,ag4 procerus nodding upon their stalks2 or1 standing on the heights above ,sorrento1 just as the setting sun flashed upon the waters of the bay ere they engulfed him1 and left us to his sister the evening star1 to have come upon that wonderful ,polyporus tuberaster whose matrix is the hard stone1 from which it derives strength and luxuriance as if from a soft and genial soil4 ,but not only in ,italy1 in our own country also1 the ,collector in ,mycology will have to traverse much beautiful and diversified scenery2 amid woods1 greenswards1 winding lanes1 rich meadows1 healthy commons1 open downs1 the nodding hop-grove and the mountain sheep-path2 and all shone upon by an autumnal sunset1--as compared with ,southern climes 8obscurely bright10 and unpreceded by that beautiful rosy tint which bathes the whole landscape in ,italy1 but with a far finer background of clouds to reflect its departed glories3 and throughout all this range of scenery he will never hunt in vain2 indulgent gamekeepers1 made aware of what he is poaching1 may warn him that he is not collecting mushrooms1 but will never warn him off from the best-kept preserves4 ,in such rambles he will see1 what ,i have this autumn 7#ahdg7 myself witnessed1 whole hundredweights of rich wholesome diet rotting under the trees2 woods teeming with food and not one hand to gather it2 and this1 perhaps1 in the midst of potato blight1 poverty and all manner of privations1 and public prayers against imminent famine4 ,i have indeed grieved1 when ,i reflected on the straitened condition of the lower orders this year1 to see pounds innumerable of extempore beef-steaks growing on our oaks in the shape of ,fistulina hepatica2 ,ag4 fusipes to pickle1 in clusters under them2 ,puff-balls1 which some of our friends have not inaptly compared to sweet-bread for the rich delicacy of their unassisted flavour2 ,hydna as good as oysters1 which they somewhat resemble in taste2 ,agaricus deliciosus1 reminding us of tender lamb-kidneys2 the beautiful yellow ,chantarelle1 that kalon kagathon of diet1 growing by the bushel1 and no basket but our own to pick up a few specimens in our way2 the sweet nutty-flavoured ,boletus1 in vain calling himself edulis where there was none to believe him2 the dainty ,orcella2 the ,ag4 heterophyllus1 which tastes like the craw-fish when grilled2 the ,ag4 ruber and ,ag4 virescens1 to cook in any way1 and equally good in all2--these were among the most conspicuous of the trouvailles4 ,but that the reader may know all he is likely to find in one single autumn1 let him glance at the catalogue below4#aig ,he may at first alarm his friends' cooks1 but their fears will1 ,i promise him1 soon be appeased1 after one or two trials of this new class of viands1 and he will not long pass either for a conjuror or something worse1 in giving directions to stew toadstools4 ,as soon as he is initiated in this class of dainties1 he will1 ,i am persuaded1 lose no time in making the discovery known to the poor of the neighbourhood2 while in so doing he will render an important service to the country at large1 by instructing the indigent and ignorant in the choice of an ample1 wholesome1 and excellent article1 which they may convert into money1 or consume at their own tables1 when properly prepared1 throughout the winter4 ,,note ,,on ,,the ,,arrangement ,,of ,,the ,,spores ,,in ,,hymenomycetous ,,funguses4 ,on the authority of ,link1 ,fries1 ,vittadini1 and other ,continental mycologists1 ,i have1 in speaking of the spores of the genera ,agaricus1 ,boletus1 ,cantharellus1 ,hydnum1 and ,clavaria1 represented them as enclosed in cases 7thec or sporanges74 ,but from an interesting memoir1 published by ,mr4 ,berkeley in the #8,annals of ,natural ,history1' 8,on the ,fructification of the ,pileate and ,clavate tribes of ,hymenomycetous ,fungi10 which ,i had not then perused1 it would appear that this arrangement only holds good with respect to ,pezizas1 ,helvellas1 and ,morels1 and not with respect to the above-mentioned genera1 the spores of which are attached 7generally in a quaternary and star form7 to the ends of tubes1 to which ,mr4 ,berkeley has given the name of sporophores2 a disposition which1 as he observes1 had been long ago pointed out by the great ,florentine mycologist1 ,micheli4 ,m4 ,montagne1 in his #8,recherches ,anatomiques et ,physiologiques sur l',hymenium1' while he confirms the fact of a quaternary disposition of the spores in general1 thinks that during the first stage of their development they are lodged within the sporiferous tubes1 to the mouths of which they afterwards adhere by means of short spicul or branchlets4 ,these1 like all other questions connected with the minute reproductive granules of funguses1 require for their solution not only the most dexterous manipulation and the aid of the finest modern microscopes1 but are likely even then to exercise the ingenuity of the curious4 ,,footnotes #a ,the word seed here1 or wherever else introduced into the present work1 is to be understood in its popular acceptation2 correctly speaking1 spores differ from seeds in the absence of an apparent embryo2 but in a more catholic sense spores are seeds1 since both are germinating granules1 producing each after their kind4 #b ,at from twenty to thirty baiocchi1 i4 e4 at about #a s4 #c d4 a pound4 #c ,the population of ,rome is only #aed1jjj2 that of ,naples1 #cfj1jjj2 and that of ,venice1 #ahj1jjj4 #d ,the ,chinese present a striking contrast with ourselves in the care which they bestow on their esculent vegetation4 8,some days since1 ,m4 ,stanislas ,julien presented to the ,academy of ,sciences1 at ,paris1 a ,chinese work1 which merits a word or two of notice in the present circumstances of agricultural ,europe4 ,it is a treatise1 in six volumes1 with plates1 entitled #8,the ,anti-,famine ,herbal2' and contains the descriptions and representations of four hundred and fourteen different plants1 whose leaves1 rinds1 stalks1 or roots are fitted to furnish food for the people1 when drought1 ravages of locusts1 or the overflow of the great rivers have occasioned a failure of rice and grain4 ,of this book the ,chinese ,government annually prints thousands1 and distributes them gratuitously in those districts which are most exposed to natural calamities4 ,such an instance of provident solicitude on the part of the ,chinese ,government for the suffering classes may be suggestive here at home4 ,a more general knowledge of the properties and capabilities of esculent plants would be an important branch of popular education40--,athenum1 ,nov4 #af1 #ahdf4 #e ,there are three kinds of esculent funguses in ,italy to which the epithet albus might apply1 viz4 the ,amanita alba1 of ,persoon1 the ,lycoperdon ,bovista1 ,linn4 7or common puff-ball71 and ,agaricus campestris1 ,linn4 7our common mushroom74 ,the first kind grows in woods1 and the second in dry uncultivated spots1 whereas ,ovid mentions these in conjunction with the ,mallow 7,malva71 which grows in moist meadow-land2 it is probable1 therefore1 that he here alludes to the ,pratajolo1 or meadow mushroom1 or to that variety of it called from its whiteness 8boule de neige40 #f ,etymol4 ad locum4 #g ,well-fed domestic pigs1 on the authority of a friend1 refuse it2 but possibly1 in the absence of full supplies of corn1 they might be less dainty4 #h ,vittadini assures us that the 8slips of dried boletus1 sold on strings1 are as frequently from these kinds as from the ,boletus edulis itself2 notwithstanding which1 no accident was ever known to happen from the indiscriminate use of either40 #i ,dioscorides1 who lived in the time of ,nero1 says that pigs dig up 8truffles0 in spring4 ,matthiolus1 in his commentaries1 speaks of an inferior1 smooth-barked1 red truffle known to the ancients1 to which the above remark of ,dioscorides perhaps applies2 certainly it does not apply to the black truffle1 which begins to come into the ,roman market in ,november1 and is over long before the spring4 #aj ,the ,thracians are said to have intended this same misy under the new epithet of 1 as though it were produced by thunder1 unless indeed1 as in ,theoph4 lib4 i4 cap4 ix41 we should read 1 in which case they meant the ,lycoperdon giganteum1 a fungus frequently as big as1 and in the form of1 the human head3 whence its name of cranium4 #aa ,whoever has time to waste on the unprofitable speculations of the ancients concerning the parentage of funguses1 and would like so to waste it1 may consult ,pliny1 lib4 xvi4 cap4 #h1 lib4 xxii4 cap4 #bc2 ,hist4 ,nat4 ,dioscorides1 lib4 iii4 cap4 #gh2 ,athenus1 lib4 ii4 in the ,deipnosophisti2 and after them ,galen1 ,clusius1 ,port 7,vill1 lib4 x471 ,imperato 7,hist4 ,nat471 etc4 ,the first really philosophical treatise which ascribes their origin1 like that of other plants1 to seeds1 was published by ,micheli1 at ,florence1 in #agbj4 #ab ,roques4 #ac ,vittadini4 #ad #8,trattati dei ,funghi4' ,roma1 #ahjd4 #ae ,have not both the words ,tode and the stool called after him some etymological1 as they have undoubtedly a fanciful1 connection with the word tod1 death8 #af ,juvenal4 #ag ,few minute objects are more beautiful than certain of these mucedinous fungi fungorum4 ,a common one besets the back of some of the ,russul in decay1 spreading over it1 especially if the weather be moist1 like thin flocks of light wool1 presenting on the second day a bluish tint on the surface4 ,under a powerful magnifier1 myriads of little glasslike stalks are brought into view1 which bifurcate again and again1 each ultimate twig ending in a semilucent head1 or button1 at first blue1 and afterwards black2 which1 when it comes to burst1 scatters the spores1 which are then 7under the microscope7 seen adhering to the sides of the delicate filamentary stalks like so many minute limpets4 #ah ,vide the ,london ,docks1 passim2 where he pays his unwelcome visits1 and is in even worse odour than the exciseman4 #ai 8,sir ,joseph ,banks having a cask of wine1 rather too sweet for immediate use1 he directed that it should be placed in a cellar1 that the saccharine it contained might be more decomposed by age2 at the end of three years he directed his butler to ascertain the state of the wine1 when1 on attempting to open the cellar-door1 he could not effect it1 in consequence of some powerful obstacle2 the door was consequently cut down1 when the cellar was found to be completely filled with a fungous production1 so firm1 that it was necessary to use an axe for its removal4 ,this appeared to have grown from1 or to have been nourished by1 the decomposing particles of the wine1 the cask being empty1 and carried up to the ceiling1 where it was supported by the fungus40--,chambers's ,journal4 #bj ,withering found one of these plants on the top of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral2 the first he had seen6 #ba ,sporendonema ,musc4 #bb 8,when healthy caterpillars are placed within reach of a silkworm that has been destroyed by the ,botrytis1 they1 too1 contract the disease1 and at last perish40--,chambers's ,journal1 ,october1 #ahde4 #bc ,a species of ,polystrix is affected1 whilst alive1 with a parasitic kind of fungus1 called ,sphria1 which grows out of it1 and feeds upon it4 #bd ,several of the ,french surgeons have given recitals of cases where1 on removal of the bandages from sore surfaces1 they have found a collection of funguses growing upon them1 generally about the size of the finger 7,lemery72 one of them adds1 that having reapplied the wrappings1 a second batch came out in the course of twenty-four hours1 and this for several days consecutively4 #be ,for an accurate description of these funguses1 the reader is referred to the excellent work of ,mr4 ,berkeley4 #bf ,these1 beautiful1 but fleeting as beauty's blush1 generally perish within a few hours2 but ,i have seen some which1 after a potting of #bjjj years1 retained their original hues unblemished1 for they had been potted with the town of ,pompeii1 and are preserved with the other frescoes upon its walls4 #bg ,the ,mitrati are not a very numerous class1 of which the ,morel may be taken as the type4 #bh ,the ,cupulati1 so called in consequence4 #bi ,a4 piperatus4 #cj ,a4 procerus4 #ca ,agaricus comatus1 in allusion no doubt to which ,plautus says of the ,lord ,chancellor of his day1 8,fungino genere est1 capiti se totum tegit10--that his wig was so long as to hide his whole person4 #cb ,the ,nidularias do so4 #cc ,the surface is rough with elevated papill1 the structure fibrous1 the flesh softly elastic1 the colour bright red1 looking like the tongue in the worst forms of gastro-enterite1 with which its cold clammy surface when touched offers no correspondence4 #cd ,a4 micaceus4 #ce ,thore4 #cf ,agaricus narcoticus1 ,batsch1 ,fascic4 vol4 ii4 pl4 #ha4 #cg ,a4 alliaceus4 #ch ,a4 cinnamomeus4 #ci ,fries4 #dj ,bolton4 #da ,persoon4 #db ,micheli4 #dc ,these last1 placed in a wineglass1 over a sheet of white paper1 frequently disperse the seminal dust over a ring of twice the natural dimensions of the ,agaric4 #dd 8,one dark night1 about the beginning of ,december1 while passing along the streets of the ,villa de ,natividade1 ,i observed some boys amusing themselves with some luminous object1 which ,i at first supposed to be a kind of large fire-fly2 but1 on making inquiry1 ,i found it to be a beautiful phosphorescent fungus1 belonging to the genus ,agaricus1 and was told that it grew abundantly in the neighbourhood1 on the decaying leaves of a dwarf palm4 ,next day ,i obtained a great many specimens1 and found them to vary from one to two and a half inches across4 ,the whole plant gives out at night a bright phosphorescent light1 of a pale greenish hue1 similar to that emitted by the larger fire-flies1 or by those curious1 soft-bodied1 marine animals1 the ,pyrosom2 from this circumstance1 and from growing on a palm1 it is called by the inhabitants #8,flor do ,coco2' the light given out by a few of these fungi in a dark room1 was sufficient to read by4 ,it proved to be quite a new species1 and1 since my return from ,brazil1 has been described by the ,rev4 ,m4 ,j4 ,berkeley under the name of ,agaricus ,gardneri1 from preserved specimens which ,i brought home40--,travels in the ,interior of ,brazil1 #ahdf4 #de ,hence it was called 7vide ,theoph4 ,lib4 vol4 i4 cap4 #i7 by the ancients4 ,cesalpinus describes it under the name of ,peziza1 and reports that it is common in the woods of ,pisa1 whence men gather to eat them4 ,we read also1 in an ancient ,italian writer 7,cicinelli71 that the environs of ,padua produce enormous puff-balls1 of which one 7unless this author was given to puffing7 measured not less than two feet across1 in one direction1 being upwards of a foot and a half in its least diameter4 ,it was big enough1 he says1 to have written on its rind the celebrated inscription attributed by ,dion ,cassius to the ,dacians1 which they presented to the ,emperor1 8in quo scriptum erat ,latinis literis ,burros sociosque omnes eum hortari ut domum reverteretur pacemque coleret40 ,other authors also 7,alph4 de ,tuberibus1--not truffles1 but puff-balls1--cap4 xvii42 ,imperato1 ,hist4 ,nat4 ,hol4 vol4 xxvii4 cap4 #e7 speak of puff-balls of sixty and one hundred pounds weight4 #df ,hist4 ,plant4 vol4 ii4 p4 #bge4 #dg ,vill1 ,lib4 vol4 x4 cap4 #hj4 #dh ,by this word1 however1 the vulgar generally understood the ,cantharellus cibarius4 #di ,this species1 which is somewhat rare in ,england1 occurred in abundance this year 7#ahdg7 in the neighbourhood of ,tunbridge ,wells4 ,i found four specimens of it on the oak-roots in the ,grove1 one of which rose nearly a foot from the ground1 measured considerably more than two and a half feet across1 and weighed from eighteen to twenty pounds2 the other specimens were of much smaller dimensions4 #ej ,robert ,scott1 ,act4 ,linn4 ,soc4 vol4 viii4 p4 #bjb4 #ea ,dufresnoy4 #eb ,roques4 #ec ,amadou is largely used in ,italy1 where it is called esca2 the ,latins likewise knew it by this name1 though their more common appellation for it was fomes2 the ,byzantine ,greeks hellenicized esca into 1 which was their word for it2 the ancient ,greeks called it 4 ,salmasius tells us how it used to be made in his time1 which indeed was the same as now3 the fungus was first boiled1 then beaten to pieces in a mortar1 next hammered out to deprive it of its woody fibres1 and lastly1 being steeped in a strong solution of nitre1 was left to dry in the sun4 ,it appears1 on the testimony of the anonymous author of the article 8,fungo0 in the #8,dizionario ,classico di ,medicina1' that it is also eaten when young2 but ,i cannot speak of it from personal experience3--8,in prima et mangiasi colto di fresco affettato e condito d'ogni modo2 specialmente nelle provincie di ,belluno ed ,udine1 o salasi per la quadragesima40 #ed 8,di questo fungo servavanosene i barbieri in cambio delle strugghie dette pi volgaremente codette1 atte a far riprendere il perduto filo a loro rasoi40 #ee 8,this is the #8,moucho more' of the ,russians1 ,kamtchadales1 and ,koriaks1 who use it for intoxication2 they sometimes eat it dry1 but more commonly immersed in a liquor made from the ,epilobium1 and when they drink this liquor1 they are seized with convulsions in all their limbs1 followed with that kind of raving which accompanies a burning fever4 ,they personify this mushroom1 and1 if they are urged by its effects to suicide1 or any other dreadful crime1 they pretend to obey its commands2 to fit themselves for premeditated assassination they recur to the use of the ,moucho more40--,rees's ,cyclopdia1 art4 8,agaric40 #ef ,in such cases the minute fungus is probably absorbed in ovo and disseminated with the sap through the plant2 as this ascends from the root1 it remains undeveloped however till the corn is in ear1 at which time it finds in the nascent grain the necessary conditions for its own development4 #eg ,the mischief thus produced by dry-rot may be arrested by steeping the affected timber in a solution of corrosive sublimate1 which1 forming a chemical union with the juices of the woody fibre1 prevents their being abstracted by the dry-rot1 that would else have maintained itself and spread at their expense4 #eh ,a reputation that revives may not be so good as one that survives1 but the very fact of such revival shows that the good opinion formerly entertained was not altogether groundless4 #ei ,enslin was in the habit of uniting this ,polyporus with ,peruvian ,bark1 and obtained from it the happiest results3 8,omnium mihi arridet connubium ejus cum cortice ,peruviano0--to which 8connubium10 no doubt1 some of its good effects are to be attributed4 #fj ,haller relates1 that the inhabitants of ,piedmont are in the habit of swallowing a small piece of this ,agaric1 when they have drunk with their water some of those small leeches in which it abounds4 ,bomare mentions of this same ,agaric1 that the inhabitants of ,balcu use it in powder to heal blains in their cattle4 #fa ,hunter4 #fb ,it is the ,frenchman's heart6 8,j'ai mal au cur0 means1 as every one knows1 in the ,french tongue1 not #8,i am sick at heart1' as it professes to say1 but #8,i am sick at stomach'6 #fc ,walpole4 #fd ,the phrase 8,i like it1 but it does not like me10 which one sometimes hears at table1 having a reference to some particular idiosyncrasy of the party who makes the remark1 does not invalidate the truth of this general proposition4 #fe ,pope4 ,mead1 if anybody1 ought to have been good authority on the subject of this particular diet4 ,he had written1 ex professo1 upon poisons2 and the ,florentine mycologist ,micheli had dedicated several newly-discovered funguses to him4 ,he was therefore both a ,toxicologist and a ,mycologist4 #ff 8,no thought too bold1 no airy dream too light1 ,that will not prompt your ,theorist to write2 ,no fact so stubborn1 and no proof so strong1 ,will e'er convince him he could argue wrong40--,crabbe4 #fg ,broussais divides inflammatory dyspepsia into five parts or acts4 ,that ,leach of leeches1 whose word once passed for more than it was worth1 came at last to see himself and his sangsues utterly abandoned1 and to have the mortification of lecturing in his old age to empty benches4 8,quantum mutatus ab illo0 of less than twenty years before1 and who had been the cause of as much innocent bloodshedding as ,napoleon himself1 and used to kill his patients that his leeches might be fed6 #fh 8,fungus qualiscunque sit semper malignus40--,kirker1 ,lib4 de ,pest4 #fi 8,apage ergo perniciosa isthc gul blandimenta40 #gj 8,quot colores tot dolores1 quot species tot pernicies40 #ga ,m4 ,roques gives at the end of his treatise on funguses a long list of his mycophilous friends1 including in the number many of the most eminent medical men of the ,french capital--if medical men are more careful of what they eat than their neighbours1 which1 however1 is exceedingly doubtful4 #gb 8,to eat raw mushrooms0 was a proverbial expression among the ,greeks1 as is shown by the passage which ,athenus quotes out of a play of ,antiphanes1 called the #8,proverbs'3-- 1 ' 4 #gc ,those who themselves know better1 smile to read such passages as the following1 which is to be found in old ,gerard's #8,herbal'3--8,galen affirms that they 7i4 e4 funguses7 are all very cold and moist1 and therefore do approach unto a venomous and mothering facultie1 and engender a clammy and pituitous nutriment2 if eaten1 therefore1 ,i give my advice unto those that love such strange and new-fangled meates1 to beware of licking honey among thorns1 lest the sweetnesse of the one do not countervaille the sharpnesse and pricking of the other40 #gd ,a life of labour1 no doubt1 will make the sorriest fare sit more lightly on the healthy stomach1 than the most dainty viands which have been received into an organ that is weakened and goaded by a life of dissipation and excess2 but this does not prove sorry fare to be more wholesome than that of a richer kind4 ,no6 ,dyspepsia is a disease of the rich2 not because they live upon the fat of the land1 but plainly because they indulge in too large a quantity at a meal4 ,let the peasant and the lord change places for a week2 place the healthy rustic at the rich man's table1 and ,dives again at the other board1 what would be the results to both8 ,would not the poor man1 think you1 find indigestion in ragot1 fricassees1 truffles1 with light wine ad libitum to drink with them8 and would not the rich man find that the fat pork and hard beer were worse poison than any of the made-dishes1 against which he has been so lavish in his blame8 ,in general1 no doubt1 to be 8the happiest of mortals--to digest well0 7,voltaire71 men should look more to the quantum and less to the quale of what they eat2 but they should pay some attention to this too4 #ge 4 44 4 #aj4 #gf ,that ,i did not always hold such an opinion as the above1 to which ,i have since given in my adhesion1 the following ode to ,eupepsia1 written in the days of theoretical inexperience1 will sufficiently testify4 ,i am now convinced that ,hippocrates was right6-- ,happy the man whose prudent care ,plain boiled and roast discreetly bound2 ,content to feed on homely fare1 ,on ,british ground6 ,sound sleep renounces sugared peas6-- ,no nightmares haunt the modest ration ,of tender steak1 that yields with ease ,to mastication6 ,from stews and steams that round them play1 ,how many a tempting dish would floor us1 ,had nature made no toll to pay ,at the pylorus6 ,he dines unscathed1 who dines alone6 ,or shuns abroad those corner dishes2 ,no ,roman garlics make him groan1 ,nor matelotte fishes4 ,then let not ,vrey's treacherous skill1 ,nor ,vfour's1 try thy peptic forces2 ,one comes to swallow many a pill ,where many a course is6 ,with mushroomed dishes cease to strive2 ,nor for that truffled crime inquire1 ,which nails the hapless goose alive1 ,at ,strasburg's fire4 #gg ,heberden wisely left it to his patients1 except in acute cases of disease or when they were gluttons1 8to eat what pleased them1 finding that many apparently unfit substances0 7which funguses are not7 8agreed with the stomach merely because they were suitable to its feelings40 ,why quote ,abernethy8--but that good sense1 backed by personal experience in such matters1 are always worth quoting--who says1 8,nothing hurts me that ,i eat with appetite and delight20 or ,withers1 unless for a like reason1 who is 8of opinion that the instinct of the palate1 not misguided by preconceived opinion1 may be satisfied1 not only with impunity1 but even with advantage40 ,it is the rule by which the brute creation is taught to shun its poison and to choose its food3 to a considerable extent1 it should be ours also4 #gh ,roques1 #8,trait sur les ,champignons4' #gi schines4 #hj 8,pratensibus optima fungis ,natura est40--,horace4 #ha ,locality has a great effect upon almost all that we eat3 our very mutton varies in different counties2 compare the town-bred gutter-fed poultry of ,london with that of twenty miles around2 fish vary1 the tench out of different ponds are different2 fruits vary with the soil2 are potatoes everywhere the same8 #hb ,persons have fancied themselves poisoned when they were not2 indigestion produced by mushrooms is looked upon with fear and suspicion1 and if a medical man be called in1 the stomach-pump used1 and relief obtained1 nothing will persuade either patient or practitioner that this has not been a case of poisoning4 8,you have saved my life10 says the one4 8,i think you will not be persuaded to eat any more mushrooms for some time10 says the other3 and so they part1 each under the impression that he knows more about mushrooms than anybody else can tell him4 #hc ,it grows not only throughout ,europe1 but in ,india also4 #hd ,we should apply the same rules of discrimination here as elsewhere4 ,have we not picked potatoes for our table out of the deadly family of ,solana8 selected with care the garden from the fool's parsley8 ,and do we not pickle gherkins1 notwithstanding their affinity to the ,elaterium momordicum1 which would poison us if we were to eat it8 #he 8,n'est-il pas bien plus simple et bien plus sr en mme temps1 puisqu'on le peut1 de prvenir les maux1 que de spculer sur les moyens si souvent incertains de les gurir80--,bull4 ,pl4 ,vnn4 p4 #aa4 #hf ,vide ,vittadini and ,roques4 #hg ,roques fell in with two soldiers at ,st4 ,cyr1 who had gathered and were in the act of carrying off twice the quantity of this fungus necessary to kill the regiment1 when he interfered1 and no doubt saved many lives in doing so4 ,the soldiers1 it appears1 had mistaken the ,ag4 necator for the ,hydnum repandum1 to which it bears some slight resemblance in colour1 and in nothing else4 #hh ,the converse of this remark by no means holds true2 the ,amanita verna1 the ,am4 phalloides1 the ,ag4 semiglobatus1 dryophilus1 and muscarius1 though amongst the most deadly of this class of plants1 do not change colour on being cut2 the flesh of the first two is1 moreover1 of a tempting whiteness1 like that of the common puff-ball1 than which there is not a safer or a better fungus4 8,omnino ne crede colori0 is our only safe motto here4 #hi ,johnson's ,dictionary4 #ij ,he was wrong here3 the oak produces both the ,fistulina hepatica and the ,agaricus fusipes1 two excellent funguses1 particularly the last1 which1 properly dressed or pickled1 have not many rivals4 #ia ,as was known to the ,greeks1 #8,prepare your funguses with vinegar1 salt1 or honey1 for thus you will rob them of their poison1' 4 #ib ,vittadini1 however1 ate largely of this fungus1 which he describes as very disagreeable1 though it did not prove poisonous to him4 #ic ,puccinelli4 #id ,in a whole family1 cut off in the year #ahdc1 at ,lucca1 by dining on some poisonous ,boletuses1 drawn and first described by ,professor ,puccinelli under the ominous name of ,boletus terribilis1 besides most extensive ulceration of the mucous coat of the intestines throughout a very considerable portion of their extent1 together with injection of the vessels of the brain1 the lungs were found congested1 and the cavities of the heart distended1 with coagula of blood4 #ie ,for a most interesting record of all the more recent poisonings from funguses in ,italy1 the reader may consult ,professor delle ,chiaje's work on ,toxicology4 ,the following1 the only one ,i shall give1 is to be found in ,vittadini's excellent work on funguses3-- 8,giovanna ,ballerini1 montanara1 d' anni #bf1 moglie di ,luigi ,dodici1 nativa di ,brugnello1 ,stato ,sardo1 e domiciliata in ,lardirago1 distretto di ,belgiojoso1 provincia di ,pavia1 mangi la sera del #ai maggio1 #ahca1 in compagnia di due suoi nipoti1 ,giuseppe ,ballerini d' anni #f1 e ,maria1 d' anni #ab1 buona copia d' agarici di primavera1 cotti nella minestra4 ,erano dessi stati colti nel vicin bosco della ,rossa1 e da quella sventurata probabilmente scambiati coi ,prugnuoli 7,ag4 mouceron1 ,bull471 funghi generalmente conosciuti da quegli alpigiani sotto il nome di ,spinaroli1 o ,maggenghi4 ,all' indomani allontanossi ,giovanna da casa1 come era suo costume1 onde provvedere ai proprj bisogni1 ma trascorse alcune ore venne assalita da forte oppressione all' epigastrio1 da nausee1 da conati di vomito1 ecc41 e costretta infine verso il meriggio dalla gravezza del patire a tornarsene a casa1 ove trov dallo stesso male tormentati anche i nipoti4 ,i principali fenomeni morbosi che presentavano quegli infelici all' arrivo di ,giovanna erano3 nausee continue1 dolori acutissimi allo stomaco ed alle intestina1 deliquj frequenti1 convulsioni1 ecc4 ,poco dopo ,maria ed in seguito ,giovanna vennero prese da vomito ostinato di materie bigio-nerastre1 a cui s'accoppiava bentosto1 per colmo di sventura1 un' abbondante soccorrenza della stessa materia1 e pi innanzi di pretto sangue4 ,impotente a recere1 ,giuseppe si struggeva in vani conati di vomito4 ,chiamato verso sera in loro soccorso il sig4 dott4 ,luigi ,casorati1 medico condotto del luogo1 mio collega ed amico1 s' adoper ma invano per sostare il vomito ed il colera1 che specialmente in ,maria ed in ,giovanna andavano sempre pi imperversando4 ,le bevande mucilaginose1 il latte1 gli oppiati1 le fomentazioni ammollienti sull' addome a nulla giovarono4 ,si tent la sanguigna1 ma anche questa senza effetto4 ,alle ore #g del mattino del giorno #ba1 #ch ore circa dall' ingestione del fungo1 ,giuseppe1 chi si era ostinatamente rifiutato ad ogni medicina1 non era pi2 n miglior sorte incontravano ,maria e ,giovanna1 chi1 tradotte all' ospedale di ,pavia1 non ostante i soccorsi che vennero loro prodigati1 perivano nella stessa giornata fra le pi terribili angosce1 e senza perdere gran fatto l' uso dei sensi1 la prima verso il meriggio1 l' altra verso le ore sette pomeridiane4 ,all' autopsia del cadavere di ,giuseppe ,ballerini1 eseguitasi in ,lardirago1 sotto i miei occhi1 dallo stesso ,dottor ,casorati che gentilmente me ne fece invito1 ed alla quale assisteva pure il sig4 dott4 ,g4 ,galliotti1 si trov lo stomaco zeppo di un liquido verdastro1 entro cui nuotavano ancora1 unitamente a buona porzione di riso e di erbe1 varj pezzetti del fungo non ancora decomposti1 e che potei agevolmente riconoscere a qual parte della pianta appartenessero2 la mucosa di quel viscere sensibilmente injettata1 e coperta1 specialmente lungo la piccola curvatura ed in vicinanza del piloro1 di grandi macchie di color roseo-livido intenso4 ,le intestina tenui pur esse ove pi ove meno injettate1 e del color dello scarlatto1 le crasse morbosamente ristrette1 ma meno delle tenui ingorgate2 s le une che le altre vuote d'alimenti1 e non contenenti che poca quantit di muco bigio-nerastro e qualche lombrico4 ,le meningi erano anch' esse sommamente injettate1 specialmente la pia2 la sostanza del cervello meno consistente del naturale1 punteggiata di rosso1 e la base dello stesso nuotante in una quantit considerabile di siero sanguinolento40--,vitt4 p4 #cdj4 #if ,when dried1 gr4 xx4-xxv4 will scarcely produce the effects of gr4 v4 of the fungus when first gathered4--,vitt4 #ig ,the total quantity of moisture absorbed by funguses1 during development and growth1 is great2 thus1 if a number of small ,agarics1 still in their wrappers1 be placed in wineglasses half filled with water1 this will be rapidly absorbed1 even before they break through their membrane4 ,moreover1 if ,agarics or ,boletuses1 already developed1 be placed in glasses containing so many ounces of water1 the amount of which has been previously ascertained1 and equal to that in another glass1 by which to make allowance for what has been lost by evaporation1 the result will generally be that a quantity of water1 equal to from one-fourth to one-third of the full weight of each fungus1 will have been absorbed and exhaled again in two days4 ,the redundant moisture of those plants is rendered conspicuous if we place a ,boletus on a watch-glass1 the surface of which is speedily beaded with drops of water1 as if it had been in the rain2 while the quantity of fluid is sometimes so great as to defeat the object we had in placing it there1 viz4 that of collecting the spores4 #ih ,the reader desirous of a detailed account of this interesting fungus1 should consult a small quarto brochure published some years ago1 by ,professor ,gasparini1 of ,naples1 who was preparing a second edition in the autumn of #ahdd1 with numerous additions1 which has1 no doubt1 been reprinted4 #ii ,or rather1 as ,professor ,tenore has told me1 from the ,populus nigra1 var4 ,neapolitana4 #ajj ,mller declares that fermentation is itself a fungus1 which continues to feed and multiply so long as it finds the elements of nutrition in the liquid in which it originates4 ,this1 then1 is employing one fungus life to evoke another4 #aja ,all blocks of this nut-wood do not bear4 ,professor ,sanguinetti informs me that the peasants in the ,abruzzi1 who bring in these logs1 know perfectly which will succeed and which will not2 8a knowledge10 he adds1 8to which closest attention during all the years that ,i have been employed by the ,papal ,government as superintendent of the fungus market1 has not yet enabled me to attain40 #ajb ,on digging up the earth in the neighbourhood of a ring in which ,a4 prunulus was at the time growing1 ,i found the mould to the depth of a foot and more1 hoary1 with an arachnoid spawn strongly charged with the odour of this mushroom4 ,persoon found that to destroy a fairy-ring of the same ,agaric1 it was necessary to dig to a considerable depth1 when the next crop that came up was disseminated sporadically over the ground4 #ajc ,this was the opinion of the ,greeks1 who called funguses 1 or earthborn4 #ajd ,just as in the inorganic world1 chemical analysis is frequently the precursor of new forms of matter resulting from the new affinities which take place1 so when a vegetable dies1 and the synthesis of its structural arrangement is broken up1 nature frequently avails herself of this season of decomposition1 to bring new individuals out of the decaying structures of the old1 which1 in consequence of a beautiful pre-arrangement1 find there all the requisite supplies for their growth and future maintenance4 #aje ,some mycologists however1 as ,persoon and ,roques1 conceive that the common dust of puff-balls is analogous to the pollen of the higher plants1 while the real seed is to be sought and found in a finer dust1 which is entangled in the reticular meshes at the base of these plants4 ,others suppose the fluid which bathes the interiors of those little organs1 in which the seeds are packed1 to be in other funguses the source of their fecundation4 ,but these at present are mere conjectures4 #ajf ,several byssoid growths are in this predicament4 #ajg 8,who seek for life in creatures they dissect1 ,will lose it in the moment they detect40--,pope4 #ajh ,the colours of the spores are of considerable practical use in distinguishing the members of the large family of ,agarics1 some of which are determined by them4 #aji ,it appears too mechanical an explanation of a phenomenon so purely vital as growth1 to make it in any way dependent on a system of wedges1 however ingeniously applied4 #aaj 8,the facility with which these floccose threads are injured1 and their connection destroyed1 explains10 says ,vittadini1 8the difficulty of transplanting funguses with success40 #aaa ,the great rapidity with which these wonderful changes succeed each other in funguses with a volva1 is widely different from what occurs in those that have none4 ,thus the ,morel takes thirty-one days1 ,geasters six1 and many ,tubers twelve months for their full development3 so that 8,to come up like a mushroom0 is a proverb with limitations4 #aab ,when the base is formed before the receptacle1 the fibres are continuous2 but when the receptacle has been formed first1 as the fibres of the last cannot be transmitted through those already formed1 these two parts remain distinct4 #aac ,in the first instance the fungus is called annulate1 in the second cortinate4 #aad i4 e4 when these happen to be of different hues originally1 the fragments of the veil being in some places covered by those of the wrapper1 in others naked4 #aae ,raii ,syn4 #b4 #aaf 1 white1 and 1 a seed4 #aag ,ag4 ovoides 7,bull471 which is white1 and ,ag4 ,csareus 7,scop471 which is red1 with yellow gills1 belong to this division4 #aah 1 a scale4 #aai ,armilla1 a ring4 #abj ,this ring seems formed by the external fibres of the stalk1 which1 having reached the posterior extremity of the gills1 are reflected backwards to the margin of the pileus when they become attached4 #aba ,limax1 a slug4 #abb 1 a hair1 and 1 a fringe4 #abc ,not described by ,vittadini among the esculent funguses of ,italy1 and so probably unknown there4 #abd ,russulus1 red4 #abe 1 milk1 and 1 to flow4 #abf 1 a declivity1 and 1 a head4 #abg 1 thick1 and 1 a leaf4 #abh 1 a vault1 and 1 a leaf4 #abi 1 a ligament1 and 1 a foot4 #acj 1 a copper coin4 #aca 1 a fungus4 #acb 1 umbilicus4 #acc 1 a side1 and 1 a foot4 #acd 1 under1 and 1 rose-coloured4 #ace 1 a declivity1 and 1 a cap4 #acf 1 slender4 #acg ,nola1 a little bell4 #ach 1 to hollow out4 #aci ,cortina1 a veil4 #adj 1 lint4 #ada 1 of a fibre1 1 a fringe4 #adb 1 a skin1 and 1 a head4 #adc ,pratum1 a pasture4 #add 1 a ring4 #ade 1 dung4 #adf 1 a cup4 #adg 1 many1 and 1 a pore4 #adh 1 a ball4 #adi ,named from the fistulous nature of the hymenium4 #aej 1 a truffle1 etc4 #aea ,clava1 a club4 #aeb ,name ,latinized from the ,german ,bofist4 #aec ,they are reproduced in these rings about the same time every year1 the circle continuing to enlarge till it breaks up at last into irregular lines1 which is a sure sign to the collector that the ,prunulus is about to disappear from that place1 just as the presence of an unbroken ring is conclusive of a plentiful harvest the next spring4 #aed ,these lobes1 formed by the constriction of the pileus1 whilst emerging from the roots of the grass1 are sometimes so much strangulated as to present the appearance of small stalkless ,agarics growing from the large1 and projecting from their sides like ears4 #aee ,that is1 connected by a tooth to the end of the stalk1 and not running down it4 #aef ,the ,prunulus is much prized in the ,roman market1 where it easily fetches #cj baiocchi1 i4 e4 #ae;d4 per lb42 a large sum for any luxury at ,rome4 ,it is sent in little baskets as presents to patrons1 fees to medical men1 and bribes to ,roman lawyers4 ,when dried1 it constitutes the so-called 8,funghi di ,genoa10 which are sold on strings throughout ,italy4 #aeg ,if the ,suillus be indeed the same as the modern ,porcino1 as its name would imply1 few who know how good it is will be disposed to pity ,martial1 who laments his hard case1 in having had to eat this fungus at his patron's table1 while he feasted on the ,boletus1 i4 e4 the ,ag4 ,csareus4 ,it would seem however from this epigram1 that the ,suillus was not in ,martial's time1 what it now unquestionably is1 a favourite with the rich4 #aeh 8,il ,sorvegliatore fa gettare ai venditori tutti i funghi fracidi e quelli che crede nocivi1 ed assolutamente proibita la vendita dei cos detti prateroli buoni o cattivi che sieno40--,sanguinetti 7extract from an unpublished letter74 #aei 8,this is that variety of ,ag4 campestris which has been so often confounded with the ,amanita verna1 and with these the ,ag4 albus virosus2 all these funguses1 besides presenting a strong similarity in appearance1 are found in the same locality1 and at about the same time of year40--,vitt4 #afj ,ude complains that we have none of the light ,french wines for sauces except champagne4 ,cider or perry will1 however1 be found good substitutes4 #afa 8,hopkirk records an instance of one weighing five pounds six ounces1 and measuring forty-three inches in circumference4 ,withering mentions another that weighed fourteen pounds40--,berkeley4 #afb 8,it is commonly supposed that such funguses as change colour afford thereby a clear evidence of their noxious properties1 and yet daily experience1 as far as it went1 ought to have led to just the opposite conclusion4 ,almost all the poisonous ,agarics have a flesh that does not change colour1 and we know as yet of no ,boletus1 many of which do so change1 that is really unsafe to eat40--,vitt4 #afc ,this blue loses much of its intensity by long exposure to the air4 ,it is moreover to be remarked that in specimens1 the flesh of which has been eaten into by slugs or insects1 no change of colour takes place4 #afd ,this requires further corroboration4 #afe ,sc4 8,blue ,hats0 7871 as ,ag4 ,georgii is called 8,white ,caps10 and ,ag4 ,oreades 8,scotch ,bonnets40 #aff ,this mushroom1 famous for the flavour it imparts to rich soups and gravies1 is also used in the ,french 8 la mode0 beef shops in ,london1 with the view of heightening the flavour of that dish4 ,as the aroma is dissipated by overcooking1 it should be thrown in only a few minutes before serving4 ,the dried ,champignon is much more extensively used in ,france and ,italy than it is in ,england4 #afg ,although the ,ag4 oreades be1 properly speaking1 a terrestrial and not a parasitical fungus1 still as it springs up amidst the roots of the grasses and flourishes by depriving them of their supplies1 the herbage in its neighbourhood is the first to scorch up and wither4 #afh ,i have1 however1 found them white4 #afi 8,dans le dpartement des landes on sme l',agaricus ,palomet4 ,pour cela on se contente d'arroser la terre d'un bosquet plant en chnes avec de l'eau dans laquelle on a fait bouillir une grande quantit de ces champignons2 la culture n'exige d'autres soins que d'loigner de ces lieux les chevaux1 les pores et les btes cornes1 qui sont trs-friandes de ces plantes2 ce moyen russit toujours1 mais nous laissons aux physiciens nous expliquer pourquoi l'bullition n'a pas fait mourir les germes40--,thore4 #agj ,the reader must not conclude from this that soil1 any more than age1 will account for such differences2 there is a variety of ,ag4 alutaceus1 described by ,vittadini1 which he says is 8endowed with a very caustic taste1 smelling of pepper1 and to be avoided40 ,the kind generally found in ,england is probably the same as this1 which ,bulliard has described under the name of ,ag4 alutaceus acris4 #aga 8,sospettando ragionevolmente dietro le esperienze del ,krapf e del ,roques che questo fungo potesse esser nocivo all' uomo e non agli animali1 ho voluto anch'io sperimentarlo su di me stesso40--,vitt4 #agb ,i lately found a single specimen of it1 which ,vittadini says is rare4 #agc ,on the ,poplar and ,willow1 according to ,vittadini2 ,apple and ,laburnum1 on the authority of ,berkeley2 ,elm and ,ash1 on my own4 #agd ,in some specimens the gills are all solitary4 #age ,vitt4 #agf ,it is probable that the varieties here referred to belonged to ,ag4 euosmus1 ,b4 ,care must be taken to distinguish between the two1 as ,ag4 euosmus is an unsafe species4--,,ed4 #agg ,vitt4 #agh ,a countryman1 last spring 7#ahdg71 stumbled upon a large quantity in the neighbourhood of ,chiselhurst1 ,kent1 and being struck with their appearance gathered some1 and took them to a medical man of the place1 who1 not recognizing the plant1 suffered the whole to perish6 ,he has since been made aware of his mistake4 #agi ,it is a common fraud in the ,italian market for the salesmen to soak them in water2 which increases their weight1 but spoils their flavour4 #ahj ,in the ,roman market the ,morell is held in little esteem1 and sells for #d;d4 or #e;d4 per lb4 ,three varieties of the esculenta are brought in by the 8,asparagarii10 i4 e4 the peasants who gather the wild ,asparagus on the hills2 viz4 the ,m4 rotunda1 which is almost globose1 ,m4 vulgaris1 and ,m4 fulva1 which is of a tawny colour4 #aha ,though the ,f4 hepatica grows both upon oak and chestnut trees1 this difference in its origin never perceptibly affects the plant1 which is equally good1 whether it be gathered from one or from the other4 #ahb ,whence the vernacular names1 8,orgella10 8,orgelle10 and 8,oreille40 #ahc ,most authors compare this odour to that of fresh meal1 but as several friends think with me that the above comparison is more accurate1 ,i have ventured to substitute it4 #ahd ,mr4 ,berkeley says rose-coloured2 ,vittadini pale rust-colour2 but ,i find that on placing a watch-glass thickly coated with spores on fine brown-holland1 the colours very nearly correspond4 #ahe ,berk4 ,brit4 ,fung4 #ahf ,the lobes are at first nearly white1 afterwards of an ash-grey colour on the under surface2 the upper1 or that which bears the seed membrane1 continuing white4 #ahg ,another species of ,peziza1 the ,p4 cochleata1 grew very abundantly last spring in ,holwood ,park1 ,keston4 ,this species is quite insipid1 and somewhat leathery1 but ,mr4 ,berkeley has seen it offered for sale under the name of ,morell4 #ahh ,the toughness is owing to its being stewed too quickly2 when properly sweated with butter1 as recommended for ,c4 coralloides1 it is quite tender4 #ahi ,there are1 in fact1 three at first1 whereof the external one either coalesces with the second1 or else peels off in shreds1 when the other two become united1 and continue to maintain the globular form of the ,puff-ball unimpaired1 even after the escape of the seed4 #aij ,without appendages4 #aia ,vittadini recommends1 wherever this fungus grows conveniently for the purpose1 that it should not be all taken at once1 but by slices cut off from the living plant1 care being taken not to break up its attachments with the earth2 in this way1 he says1 you may have a fine 8frittura0 every day for a week4 #aib ,i have been informed that this ,puff-ball is sometimes served on state occasions at the ,freemasons' ,tavern4 #aic 8,ce ,champignon crot au milieu et vers le sommet de l'arbre1 de sorte qu'il n'est pas facile voir ou rcolter40--,persoon4 #aid ,berkeley4 #aie ,in #ahdc1 the friends of a patient1 for whom ,i had occasion to prescribe some musk1 had recourse to many chemists in succession before the licensed dealer in it could be found1 and he was obliged by law to keep it in his back premises4 #aif ,night fires4 ,this is to clear the ground under the ,chestnut-trees for the falling fruits1 which might otherwise be lost amidst the heath4 ,but the practice is unsafe2 as many a tree has been charred by the flames1 and some have actually taken fire and given rise to a general conflagration4 #aig ,the whole of the species mentioned in the annexed list were met with by the author this summer and autumn 7#ahdg71 and partaken of by himself and friends1 viz4 ,amanita vaginata2 ,ag4 rubescens1 procerus1 prunulus1 ruber1 heterophyllus1 virescens2 deliciosus1 nebularis1 personatus1 virgineus1 fusipes1 oreades1 ostreatus1 ,orcella1 campestris 7and its varieties edulis and pratensis71 exquisitus1 comatus1 and ulmarius2 ,cantharellus cibarius2 ,polyporus frondosus2 ,boletus edulis and scaber2 ,fistulina hepatica2 ,hydnum repandum2 ,helvella lacunosa2 ,peziza acetabulum and ,bovista plumbea2 ,lycoperdon gemmatum and ,clavaria strigosa4 ,,the ,,end4 ,john ,edward ,taylor1 ,printer1 ,little ,queen ,street1 ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,i4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,ii4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,iii4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,iv4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,v4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,vi4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,vii4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,viii4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,ix4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,x4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,xi4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4 ,illustration3 ,pl4 ,,xii4 ,w4 ,fitch1 del4 et lith4 ,vincent ,brooks1 ,imp4