Chapter IV: Part 4

A homely mode of cooking _Ag. campestris_ in Bucks. is to cut up the buttons with pieces of bacon the size of dice, and then to boil them in a dumpling.

_Method of Cultivating._

The following method of cultivating mushrooms is given in Paxton’s ‘Botanical Dictionary:’—

“Collect a sufficient quantity of fresh horse-droppings, as free from straw as possible; lay it in an open shed in a heap or ridge; here it will heat violently, and in consequence should be now and then turned for sweetening; after this has subsided to moderation, it will be in a fit state for forming into a bed. In the process of making the bed, the dung should be put on in small quantities and beat firmly and equally together, until it is the required size; in this state let it remain until the highest degree of heat to which it is capable of coming is ascertained, which may be readily done by inserting a heat-stick, and pressing it with the hand; if not found violent, the spawn may be broken up into pieces of two or three inches square, and put into holes about three inches in depth by six inches asunder, over its surface; after this, throw a very small quantity of well-broken droppings over the whole. In this state let it remain for two or three weeks, when a loamy soil may be put on about an inch or an inch and a half thick, and gently patted with the spade. If the temperature of the house be kept about sixty or sixty-five degrees, mushrooms may be expected in six weeks. It is not well to water the beds much, particularly when bearing; it is much better to throw a little water over the path and flues, which will both improve the colour and the flavour of the mushrooms, without being attended with those bad effects frequently resulting from watering, viz. that of destroying the young stock, and turning browner those already fit for table.”—_Paxton’s Bot. Dict._

With regard to the spawn, it may be collected as recommended in the French work cited by M. Roques, and kept in a dry place till wanted; or by digging about the roots of growing mushrooms, and carrying away the earth which contains it. The _débris_ of a former mushroom-bed will always furnish spawn for a new.

AGARICUS EXQUISITUS, _nob._

PLATE IV., FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.

Section PSALIOTA, _Fries_. Subdivision PRATELLA, _ibid._

AGARICUS GEORGII, _Withering_.

“L’Agarico esquisito è un fungo sano, oltremodo delicato e di
facilissima digestione.”—_Vitt._

“Its flavour is far inferior to that of the common
mushroom.”—_Berkeley._

This fungus, called also the Horse Mushroom, from the enormous dimensions[161] to which it sometimes attains, is for the most part shunned by the English epicure; it is also this species from which many persons report themselves to have suffered indigestion attended with violent colicky pains, when they have eaten it by mistake for the _Ag. campestris_. It is sold, under the name of White Caps, for making ketchup; but, notwithstanding its foreign name and reputation, most persons will agree with Mr. Berkeley, in holding both its flesh and its juices as greatly inferior to those of the _Ag. campestris_. Our other name for it, that of St. George’s Agaric, can have no reference to the time of its appearance, as it is seldom met with in England till after that saint’s day; it has, moreover, the same name in Hungary, where the inhabitants look upon it as a special gift from Saint George.

Its botanical characters are the following:—

_Pileus_ at first conico-campanulate, covered with floccose shreds, which are very fugacious; when fully expanded, minutely squamulose, of a beautiful white, shining and smooth; turning yellow when bruised, and sometimes exuding a yellow juice (Sibthorpe). _Gills_ numerous, broad, attenuated both ways, but most so behind, free, of a pallid hue (grey flesh-colour), during the growth of the fungus; later, clouded brown-black; the imperfect gills obtuse behind. _Stem_ long, subcylindrical, slightly thickened at the base, white without, stuffed within. _Ring_ tumid and reflected over the stalk. _Flesh_ of both pileus and stalk compact, fibrous, and fragile. Flavour and smell strong, and, according to Vittadini, agreeable, but according to English perception generally the reverse. Persoon pronounces this fungus to be _superior_ to the common mushroom in smell, taste, and digestibility, on which accounts, he says, it is generally preferred in France. It is to be cooked in the same way as that, and, if eaten in moderation, will seldom be found to incommode the stomach or offend the palate.

_Locality._—Pastures, amidst thickets, under trees, generally in large rings, reproducing itself every year in the same situations.

AGARICUS DELICIOSUS.

PLATE V., FIG. 4.

_Orange Milk Agaric._

Subgenus GALORRHEUS.

_Bot. Char._ Gregarious. _Pileus_ from three to four inches across; colour dull orange-rufous, frequently zoned with concentric circles of a brighter hue, fleshy, firm, full of red orange milk, which turns green on exposure to the air (as does the whole plant when bruised); the margin at first involute and downy, then expanded, afterwards depressed. _Gills_ decurrent, forked at the base, always of the same colour as the pileus, rather distant, substantial. _Stem_ from two to three inches high, slightly bent, stuffed in part, scrobiculate (_i. e._ marked with little superficial pits); at the base strigose (_i. e._ covered with short pointed hairs).

This is one of the best Agarics with which I am acquainted, fully deserving both its _name_ and the estimation in which it is held abroad. Its flesh is firm, juicy, sapid, and nutritious. It grows under old Scotch firs and pines, and occasionally in considerable abundance, and is well worth the trouble of searching for from September to the beginning of November, when it is in season. There is but one fungus which it in any way resembles, and as that one (_Ag. torminosus_) is acrid and poisonous, the gatherer must pay particular attention to the following characteristic difference between the two, viz. that the milk of the _Ag. deliciosus_ is _red and subsequently turns green_, while that of the _Ag. torminosus_ is _white_ and _unchangeable_.

Mr. Sowerby thus speaks in praise of this species:—“I had one dressed; it was very luscious eating, full of rich gravy, with a little of the flavour of mussels.”

Sir James Smith, in his ‘Tour,’ says:—“The market of Marseilles exhibited a prodigious quantity of _Ag. deliciosus_, which really deserves its name, being the most delicious mushroom known.”

The _Agaricus deliciosus_ may be served with a white sauce, or fried; but the best way to cook them, after duly seasoning with pepper and salt, and putting a piece of butter upon each, is to bake (in a closely-covered pie-dish) for about three-quarters of an hour.

BOLETUS SCABER, _Fries_.

PLATE VI. FIGS. 1, 2.

“Fungo innocente e che non può cagionare alcun danno, non
molto ricercato a motivo, senza dubbio, del cambiamento di
colore in cui va soggetto la sua carne allorchè viene rotta o
compressa.”—_Vitt._

_Bot. Char._ This fungus presents itself under two distinct forms; in the first, the _B. aurantiacus_ of Bull., the _pileus_ (generally rather downy, but sometimes rough) is of a beautiful deep orange hue; in the other it is cinereous.

In both cases its shape is that of a hemisphere of from three to seven inches across, the surface of which becomes viscid when moist, and is minutely downy. In the first variety, the _stem_ is rough with black, in the second with orange scales.

Half a foot is its average height; it is attenuated upwards. While young, it is very thick in proportion to the pileus, and exhibits frequently the traces of a floccose veil. The flesh is thick and flabby, of a dingy white, not greatly changeable in young specimens, but deepening in colour when old, and acquiring a vinous tint;[162] the _tubes_ are of a dirty white, those that surround the stem being shorter than the rest.

The odour of this fungus is slight; the taste subacid; the seminal dust copious, and tawny-ferruginous. It may be cooked like the _B. edulis_, and has an agreeable flavour; but being more viscid in substance, it requires when stewed to be thinned with water; when dried, it loses all odour, and is then insipid and unfit for food.

BOLETUS LURIDUS.

PLATE VI. FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.

Nothing can be more accurate than Mr. Berkeley’s description of this species, which I therefore subjoin:—“Woods. Summer and autumn. Common. _Pileus_ two to six inches broad, convex, expanded, minutely tomentose, olive, brick-red, pinkish, cream-coloured, or ferruginous-brown. _Flesh_ more or less yellow, changing to blue.[163] _Tubes_ free, yellow or greenish; their orifices of a beautiful red or bright orange, quite simple, round. _Spores_ olivaceous-ochre. _Stem_ very variable in length, bulbous, tomentose, sometimes quite smooth, red with ferruginous or the brightest yellow shades, solid, generally more or less marked or reticulated with crimson-red, _very deleterious_”(?[164]).

AGARICUS PERSONATUS.

PLATE I. FIG. 2.

Subgenus TRICHOLOMA, _Fries_.

_Blewitts._

I never met with this fungus in Italy; it has not been described by Vittadini, nor, that I am aware of, by any Italian mycologist; neither is it mentioned by Cordier or Roques, in their treatises on the esculent funguses of France. Extremely common in England, this species has already found its way to Covent Garden, where, according to Sowerby, it is sold under the name of “Blewitts.”[165] The favourite haunt of the Blewitt is amidst grass, where it grows in clusters, or in large rings, seldom appearing before October.

The botanical characters, as given by Mr. Berkeley, are as follows:—“_Pileus_ from two to six inches broad, fleshy, firm; pale bistre or purple-lilac, occasionally violet; convex, obtuse, very smooth, and shining, as if oiled, but not viscid; margin involute, pulverulento-tomentose. _Gills_ rounded; free, narrow in front, paler than the pileus, sometimes violet, turning to a dirty flesh-colour, especially when bruised; _stem_ from one to three inches high, three-quarters of an inch thick, firm, bulbous, solid, mottled within towards the apex, with watery spots; clothed more or less with villous fibrillæ, tinged with violet; odour like that of _Oreades_, but rather overpowering; taste pleasant.” As the “Blewitt” is apt to imbibe in wet weather a great quantity of moisture, it should not be gathered during rain; when not water-soaked it is a fine firm fungus with a flavour of veal, like which it is to be dressed _en papillottes_ with savoury herbs and the usual condiments, and the more highly seasoned the better.

AGARICUS OREADES, _Bolt_.

PLATE VII. FIG. 4.

Subgenus CLITOCYBE. Section SCORTEI, _Fries_.

_Scotch Bonnets._

Every one knows the Champignon,—that little buff fungus which during so many months in the year comes up in successive crops, in great profusion after rain, and generally in rings. These Champignons abound everywhere: this summer (1847) Hyde Park was full of them; amid the seared and much-trodden grass they were continually tracing their fairy rings, and in some instances they reached the very border of the gravel walks. Independent of the excellent flavour of this little mushroom, which is as good as that of most funguses, two circumstances give it an additional value in a domestic point of view, viz. the facility with which it is dried, and its very extensive dissemination. When dried (two or three days’ exposure to the air is generally sufficient to effect this), the _Ag. oreades_ may be kept for years without losing any of its aroma or goodness, which on the contrary become improved by the process, so as, in fact, to impart more flavour to the dish than would have been imparted by the fresh fungus; though it is not to be denied that the flesh then becomes coriaceous and less easy of digestion.[166] From the sad accidents occasioned by persons mistaking other small and poisonous Agarics growing in the neighbourhood of the Champignon for the Champignon itself, this species is frequently looked upon with suspicion, and not often eaten in England. The Agaric the least unlike and most commonly found growing in company with the _Ag. oreades_, is the _Ag. semilobatus_, which is nearly allied to, if it be not the same as the _Ag. virosus_ of Sowerby. But as I have also heard of a gentleman who intending to gather Champignons, and taking home some _Ag. dryophilus_ by mistake, was rendered very ill by his repast, to prevent the recurrence of such mistakes for the future, I here add the botanical characters, marking what is peculiar to each in italics. _Ag. dryophilus_ is represented in Pl. VII. fig. 5.

AG. DRYOPHILUS.

Solitary or tufted. Pileus from one to two inches broad,
whitish, pinkish, yellowish, or yellow-brown, flat, sometimes
_depressed_, fleshy, thin, _fragile_, _when moist easily
injured_, of a tougher substance when dry. Gills soft, tender,
numerous, white, or pale yellow straw-colour. Stem shining,
_hollow_, of the same colour as the pileus, but towards the
apex generally darker and of a redder tinge.

AG. OREADES.

In dense rings, or gregarious. Pileus smooth, _fleshy_,
_convex_, _subumbonate_, generally more or less _compressed_,
or _sinuate_; _tough_, coriaceous, _elastic_, _wrinkled_,
when _water-soaked brown_, _buff_ or _cream-colour_ when dry;
the umbo often remaining _red-brown_, as if _scorched_. Gills
_distant_, ventricose, of the _same tint as the pileus_ or
_paler_. Stem equal, _solid_, _twisted_, very _tough_ and
_fibrous_, _pure, silky, white_; base downy, somewhat rooting
and attached to the roots of grass.[167]

AG. SEMIGLOBATUS.

Pileus hemispherical, _viscid_ when moist, _shining_ and
_smooth_ as if varnished, obtuse, fleshy. Gills very broad,
perfectly _horizontal to the stem_, broadly adnate, with a
little tooth, minutely _serrated_, mottled with purple-brown
sporules. _Stalk very viscid_, shining when dry with a
closely-matted silkiness, _fistulose_, sometimes bulbous with
a hollow bulb; ring generally complete, reflexed, often dusted
with the dark-coloured spores.

AGARICUS NEBULARIS.

PLATE IV. FIG. 2.

Subgenus CLITOCYBE. Section DASYPHYLLI, _Fries_.

AG. PILEOLARIUS, _Bulliard_.

“Il est très-agréable au goût.”—_Bulliard._

The following description was made from some among the more characteristic specimens of a large supply which I gathered this autumn (1847) near Hayes, from a spot where they are in the habit of re-appearing regularly in October.

_Pileus_ from two and a half to five inches across; at first depresso-convex; when expanded nearly flat or broadly subumbonate, never depressed, margin at first involute and pruinose; occasionally somewhat waved and lobed, but generally regular in form; smooth, viscid when moist, so that dead leaves adhere to it; grey, brown at the centre, paler towards the circumference. _Flesh_ thick, white, unchanging; _gills_ cream-colour, narrow, decurrent, close, their margins waved, unequal, generally simple. _Stem_ from two to four inches long, from a quarter of an inch to an inch thick; incurved at the base, not rooting, but attaching by means of a floccose down, round its lower portion and for one-third of its length, a large quantity of dead leaves, by which the plant is held erect; subequal, more or less marked with longitudinal pits, firm externally, within of a softer substance. The _odour_ strong, like that of curd cheese.

This Agaric appears to be local in Italy; otherwise it could scarcely have been omitted in Vittadini’s work, nor by the author of the article “Fungo” in the Venice edition of the ‘Dizionario Classico di Medicina:’ add to which that I have never met with it myself either at Florence, Pisa, Naples, or Leghorn. That it grows in the neighbourhood of Rome is certain, since I find it admirably delineated in a curious collection of very old drawings which I purchased there. Moreover Professor Sanguinetti, of that city, writes in terms of high commendation of this mushroom, which, he says, may be discerned _inter alia_, “by its peculiar odour and grateful taste: when properly cooked it is equal to any of our funguses, rivalling not only the _Ag. prunulus_, but even the _Cæsareus_: as few are aware of its good qualities, it seldom finds its way into the Roman market.” The _Ag. nebularis_ requires but little cooking; a few minutes’ broiling (à la Maintenon is best), with butter, pepper, and salt, is sufficient. It may also be delicately fried with bread crumbs, or stewed in white sauce. The flesh of this mushroom is perhaps lighter of digestion than that of any other.

CANTHARELLUS CIBARIUS.

PLATE VIII. FIG. 1.

Tribe MESOPUS. Subdivision AGARICINI, _Fries_.

“Sunt qui hunc perniciosum scripsere. Verum etiam latranti
stomacho eum comedi; atque ex eo pulmenta parantur,
quæ si aridis mortuorum oribus admovcantur peream ni
reviviscerent!”—_Batt._

“Jure inter sapidissimos fungos numeratur.”—_Fries._

No fungus is more popular than the above, though the merits—nay, the very existence—of such a fungus at home is confined to the Freemasons, who keep the secret! Having collected a quantity at Tunbridge Wells, this summer, and given them to the cook at the Calverley Hotel to dress, I learnt from the waiter that they were not novelties to him; that, in fact, he had been in the habit of dressing them for years, on state occasions, at the Freemasons’ Tavern. They were generally fetched, so he said, from, the neighbourhood of Chelmsford, and were always well paid for. Of the _Cantharellus_, this summer (1847), the supplies were immense! the moss under the beech-trees in Buckhurst Park in particular, was so lavish of them, that a hamper might soon have been filled, had there been hands to gather them. On revisiting the same park about five weeks later, they were still continuing to come up, but in less abundance.

The botanical characters of the _Cantharellus_ are as follow:—

When young, its _stalk_ is tough, white, and solid; but as it grows this becomes hollow and presently changes to yellow; tapering below, it is effused into the substance of the _pileus_, which is of the same colour with it. The _pileus_ is lobed, and irregular in shape, its margin at first deeply involute, afterwards when expanded, wavy. The _veins_ or plaits are thick, subdistant, much sinuated, running some way down the stalk. The _flesh_ is white, fibrous, dense, “having the odour of apricots” (_Purton_), or of “plums” (_Vitt._). The _colour_ yellow, that of the yolk of eggs, is deeper on the under surface; when raw it has the pungent taste of pepper; the _spores_ which are elliptic, are of a pallid ochre colour (_Vitt._).[168] The _Chantarelle_ grows sometimes sporadically, sometimes in circles or segments of a circle, and may be found from June to October. At first it assumes the shape of a minute cone; next, in consequence of the rolling in of the margin, the pileus is almost spherical, but as this unfolds, it becomes hemispherical, then flat, at length irregular and depressed.

“This fungus,” observes Vittadini, “being rather dry and tough by nature, requires a considerable quantity of fluid sauce to cook it properly.” The common people in Italy dry or pickle, or keep it in oil for winter use. Perhaps the best ways of dressing the _Cantharellus_ are to stew or mince it by itself, or to combine it with meat or with other funguses. It requires to be gently stewed and a long time to make it tender; but by soaking it in milk the night before, less cooking will be requisite.

The _Canth. cibarius_ is very abundant about Rome, where it fetches, not being in great esteem, from twopence to twopence halfpenny a pound.

AGARICUS ATRAMENTARIUS, _Bull._

PLATE IX. FIGS. 1 AND 2.

Subgenus COPRINUS, _Fries_.

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ fleshy, campanulate, margin uneven, colour greyish, then light brown, slightly hairy, often corrugated, sometimes scaly in the centre. _Gills_ numerous, deep, with clear veins, light brown, black in age, the edges grey or white, free, obtuse behind. _Stem_ about four inches high, swollen at the base, piped, juicy, fibrous, marked with bands.

This is a common fungus in gardens, waste corners of fields, and lanes, and occasionally growing on stumps of trees in such situations: it is gregarious and cæspitose, and occurs both in spring and autumn. Young specimens afford a fine ketchup.

AGARICUS COMATUS.

PLATE VII. FIGS. 1, 2, AND 3.

Subgenus COPRINUS, _Fries_.

“A fungus in great request about Via Reggio and
Lucca.”—_Puccinelli._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ cylindrical, breaking up into long scales, campanulate, epidermis thin, flesh thick in the centre, very thin and stringy at the margins. _Gills_ numerous, quite free, leaving a space round the top of the stem. _Stem_ from four to five inches high, rather bulbous at the base, stuffed with fibres, brittle, ring moveable.

This fungus may be found from early spring till late in the autumn, in meadows and waste places.

When used for making ketchup or for the table, only young specimens should be selected.

AGARICUS HETEROPHYLLUS, _Fries_.

PLATE III. FIGS. 3 AND 4.

Subgenus RUSSULA, _Scopoli_.

MILD RUSSULÆ. RUSSULÆ MITES, AUCT.

“Non meno sicuro e gustoso del Cesareo e del l’orcino.”—_Vitt._

It is of the utmost importance that those who gather funguses for the table, should be accurately acquainted with the different species composing this genus; its members are so abundantly distributed; some of them form so excellent and delicate a food, whilst others produce such deleterious effects on the economy, that they are well entitled to a diligent and careful attention. The limits of this work will not permit an accurate discrimination of all the species, which would require a long monograph to themselves; but I have endeavoured to point out amidst those of most frequent occurrence, the three which may be selected with profit for the table, and some others which are nearly allied, from which we must be careful to separate them.

The three mild-flavoured _Russulæ_ are the _Ag. heterophyllus_, _Ag. ruber_, and _Ag. virescens_; the botanical characters of the first are as follows:—

_Ag. heterophyllus._

_Pileus_ subirregular, from three and a half to four and a half inches across, at first convex, then more or less excavated towards the centre; for the most part smooth, the epidermis covering it, more or less moist, never scored or fissured, but exhibiting a continuous surface, marked by very small raised lines, radiating as from the centre, and frequently crossing so as to present a very minute finely reticulated meshwork, sometimes slightly zoned, adhering to the flesh of the _pileus_, which peels away with it in flakes resembling asbestos. It is very various in colour, being found of all shades of yellow, lilac, azure, green, and sometimes a mixture of these in different parts. The margin even, _i. e._ not striate, irregularly elevated and depressed. The _gills_ are watery white, rather numerous and thick, ascending, tapering away at their stalk extremity, rather broader at the other, some simple but many of them forked at the base, in a few instances branched; the imperfect gills very few, irregular, occasionally broadly adhering to the side of a perfect gill; the _stalk_ naked, variable as to length and size, equal or attenuated slightly at the base, white like spermaceti, externally rugulose, and meshed, like the pileus, with minute meandering lines, internally stuffed with a compact subfriable medullary substance, which, as the fungus grows old, breaks up here and there into sinuses which gradually coalesce, till at last the whole stem becomes hollow. The parenchyma is compact, but not thick, and does not change colour when cut. The spores white, round, and very abundant. The _taste_ sweet and nutty. _Odour_ none.

This excellent fungus, which Vittadini pronounces to be not surpassed for fineness of flavour by _Am. Cæsarea_ or by _B. edulis_, with either of which it is equally wholesome, has been introduced by Roques into the houses of many of his friends in the environs of Paris, some of whom prefer it to _Ag. campestris_: an opinion shared by several of our own friends on this side the Channel. It grows in great abundance during the summer months generally, and this year nowhere more plentifully than under the Elm-trees in Kensington Gardens. There must be no delay in dressing it, otherwise insects, who are as fond of it as we are, appropriate it to their larvæ, which in a few hours will utterly consume it; the flesh, being very tender, requires but slight cooking.

_Agaricus ruber_, Schœffer. _Ag. griseus_, Persoon.

“L’Agarico Rosso è uno dei funghi più delicati e gustosi che si
conoscono.”—_Vitt._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ rather fleshy, at first hemispherical, then obtusely convex, and, when fully expanded, more or less excavated towards the centre. The margins at first even, at length tuberculo-sulcate, that is, marked with lines similar to those left on the skin after cupping. The epidermis dry in dry weather, but very sticky in moist, of various hues, tawny-purple, olive-green, ochraceous-yellow, or several of these united, and generally darkest at the centre; peeling off readily without laceration of the flesh. The flesh white, when cut slightly rufescent, when dry cream-coloured. The _gills_ fragile, cream-coloured, connected below by transverse plaits or veins, thick and broad, but tapering away towards the stalk, really simple, though a few imperfect gills interposed between the entire ones, and attaching themselves to their sides give these sometimes the appearance of being forked; the _stalk_ equal, white, or blotched here and there with purple stains, stuffed, brittle, and Vittadini adds, “long,” which is not my experience of it; when young it is so short as to be entirely hid by the globose head of the unexpanded pileus. The flesh inconsiderable but compact; _sporules_ pale-buff.

The _Ag. ruber_, the _Colombo rossa_ of the Tuscans, and _Rother Täubling_ of Schœffer, is a complete _wood_-pigeon in its haunts; it grows very abundantly, may be gathered from July to a very late period in the autumn, and is as delicate and light of digestion as the _Russula_ last described. It may be readily distinguished from _Ag. alutaceus_ by the different colour of its gills and spores, which in that species are buff, but in the _Ag. ruber_ cream-coloured: moreover the greater thickness of the substance of the pileus of _Ag. alutaceus_, the margin of which is deeply sulcate, even at an early period of its development, and the pungent acrid taste, which is seldom wanting, are further means of distinguishing it from _Ag. ruber_. _Ag. emeticus_ differs from it in having unequal snow-white gills, and in extreme acrimony of taste.

_Agaricus virescens_, Schœff.: the Verdette? _Ag. bifidus_, Bull. _Russula æruginosa_, Persoon.

“La carne di questo Agarico è tenera e di sapore
gratissimo.”—_Vitt._

_Pileus_ at first flatly convex; at length depressed towards the centre with an even margin; epidermis whitish, fibrous, continuous and firmly adhering to the flesh, dry, but coated over with a thick stratum of opaque meal, which gradually breaking as the pileus expands maps it in a singular and quite characteristic manner with a series of irregular polygonal figures, in greater or less relief according to the thickness of the coating; its colour varies slightly but is generally made up of some admixture of green and yellow, communicating to the surface, as Bulliard has remarked, a farinaceous or mouldy appearance. The _gills_ of some thickness, very brittle, white, sublanceolate, generally simple, but occasionally forked, the imperfect gills interspersed without order amongst the entire ones; the _stalk_ equal, short, its centre stuffed with cottony fibres: somewhat compact and elastic. According to Thore, as quoted by Persoon, this Agaric may be cultivated.[169]

It is an exceedingly delicate fungus, but not very common in England. The best way of cooking it, according to Vittadini, is on the gridiron; the peasants about Milan are in the habit of putting it over wood embers to toast, eating it afterwards with a little salt, in which way it has a savoury smell, and a taste like that of the _Cancer astacus_; when fresh it is without odour, but acquires a very strong one while drying, which he compares to that of salt meat. Mr. Berkeley quotes Roques’ authority as to its being eaten in France; Vittadini, without giving any authority, states that it is eaten in England. It loses but little of its volume in drying.

ACRID RUSSULÆ. RUSSULÆ ACRES, AUCT.

_Agaricus alutaceus_, Persoon.

Three acrid _Russulæ_ remain to be described, _Ag. alutaceus_, _Ag. emeticus_, _Ag. sanguineus_; all three common, though not perhaps so common as the mild ones, and all to be avoided. The first, _A. alutaceus_, Fries, is ranked by Vittadini among the safe kinds, he even affixes a misplaced note of admiration after his epithet “esculentus!” and describes it even when raw as “a dainty food, possessed of a most agreeable flavour.”

Mr. Berkeley, who reports it esculent when _young_, remarks that individual specimens occur, which prove almost as acrid as the _Ag. emeticus_ itself; my own experience of it in England is, that whether young or old, it is always acrid when raw.[170] I have never tried it dressed, which might possibly extract its noxious qualities, as Vittadini reports to have been the case with a caustic variety which he subjected to this test; but since even then, on his own showing, it proved indigestible, I would advise no one to try this species, especially when there are so many others, the good qualities of which are known.

It is easy to distinguish _A. alutaceus_ from any of the foregoing species; to do this it is only necessary to look at the gills, which, in place of being, as in these, white, watery white, or cream-coloured, are of a rich buff; _pileus_ about three inches broad, pink or livid olive, smooth on the surface, and viscid in wet weather; the margin at first even, but in age striate; the _gills_ broad, equal, slightly forked, ventricose, free, connected by veins; the _sporules_ rich buff; the _stem_ one and a half inches long, blunt, surface longitudinally wrinkled or grooved, solid without, spongy within, varying from white to buff.

_Agaricus emeticus_, Schœffer.

Reports concerning the qualities of this fungus differ widely, some asserting it to be a most deleterious species, of which the mischief was not to be removed by cooking, whilst others, on the authority of dogs whom they persuaded to eat some, pronounced it innoxious. In this state of uncertainty Vittadini, for the sake of science, and peradventure of adventure also, determined to test its effects upon himself; he had previously given at different times large doses, of from six to twelve ounces, to dogs, both in the crude state and also cooked; but without result. “Still,” says he,[171] “thinking that though dogs might eat _Ag. emeticus_ with impunity, it might yet prove injurious to man, I took five specimens of fair dimensions, and having fried, I ate them with the usual condiments; but though pains were taken to have them delicately prepared (_oltimamente cucinati_), they still retained their acrid bitter taste, and were most distasteful to the palate.” The reader will be glad to learn, that the only inconvenience suffered by this bold self-experimentalist was a slight sense of præcordial uneasiness accompanied with flatulence,—effects attributable entirely, as he believed, to the rich mode in which his dish was prepared: though, more timid apparently for others’ safety than his own, he particularly adds, “though I have clearly established to my own satisfaction, the complete innocuousness of the _A. emeticus_; still, as there are, or are said to be, other _Russulæ_ of highly deleterious properties and closely allied, the mistaking which for it might be paid for by the loss of life, the safer rule is to abstain from all such as have acrid juices.”

The botanical characters of _Ag. emeticus_ are as follow:—

Pileus more or less rosy, flesh compact, margin striate, epidermis adherent; _gills_ very brittle, arched in front, attenuated towards the stalk, connected below by transverse plaits, generally simple, a few forked, the imperfect gills rounded off behind; the _stalk_, which is compact, of equal dimensions, and white, is generally more or less stained with red spots of the same hue as the pileus; in the growing fungus, where the epidermis has been removed and the flesh eaten by insects, this soon acquires a tint as lively as that of the skin itself; generally I have remarked that the erosions of insects and slugs do _not_ produce any change of colour, even in the species notorious under other circumstances for manifesting such a change; thus the flesh of the _Ag. rubescens_, which turns red when it is divided, may be frequently seen half eaten through, exhibiting a white flesh; and the same is the case with the _Boletus luridus_, the flesh of which, though eroded, remains white till it is broken through.

_Ag. sanguineus_, Bull.

This fungus, of which the general facies and most of the botanical characters, as well as the taste and other qualities, are similar to those of the last-mentioned Agaric, differs from it in having its gills for the most part forked, many smaller ones being interposed between those that are entire, also in _not_ having its margin striate, as the _Ag. emeticus_ when moderately expanded always has. The smell of this fungus, which is only developed in drying, is, according to Vittadini, “most agreeable,” resembling that of fresh meal; to me its odour is unpleasant and like that of sour paste.

_Ag. acris minor._

_Pileus_ one or two inches across, sticky, of a light muddy-pink, the _epidermis_ peeling off easily and entire from the flesh, margin not striate, flesh soft, white, and cellular; _gills_ adnate, white, forked, brittle, slightly ventricose; the margin subdenticulate; the _stalk_ of spermaceti-whiteness and appearance, solid within, brittle, the internal texture looser than the external; the surface minutely rugulose, 1¼-1½ inch, by 2-4 lines thick, intensely acrid. In meadows, throughout the summer; abundant.

AGARICUS OSTREATUS, _Jacq._

PLATE X.

Subgenus PLEUROPUS, Persoon. Subdivision CONCHARIA, _Fries_.

“L’Ag. ostreato viene giustamente per la sua bontà ed innocenza
amesso tra i funghi commestibili, de’ quali è pure permessa la
vendita sulle pubbliche piazze.”—_Vitt._

_Bot. Char._ Cæispitose.[172] _Pileus_ fleshy, smooth, blackish, then cinereous, at length paler; epidermis strongly adherent, flesh fibrous, moderately firm; _gills_ anastomosing behind, not glandular, white; _stem_ sublateral or wanting. On dead trees.[173] Season, spring and autumn.

As there are some singular differences presented by this fungus in regard to development, odour, taste, and the colour of the spores, which seem almost sufficient to entitle it to be divided into two distinct species, I shall first describe the more ordinary form, as given by Mr. Berkeley, and then mention the variations from it.

“Imbricated, large; _pileus_ subdimidiate, very thick and fleshy; flesh white, dusky towards the surface; one inch deep, the border at first fibrillose; margin involute, as the pileus expands the white fibrillæ vanish, and the colour changes to bistre; margin paler and rimulose, the whole surface shining and satiny when dry, soft and clammy when moist; _gills_ broad, here and there forked,”[174] standing out sharp and erect like the fine flutings of a column, winding down the stalk to different lengths, and those that reach the bottom forming there a beautiful raised meshwork highly characteristic of this species, “_dirty_ (pure?) white, the edge serrated, umber; _taste_ and _smell_ like that of _Ag. personatus_, which it resembles somewhat in colour;” “_spores_ white like those of the _Polyporus suaveolens_.”[175] The points of difference in those which departed from the ordinary type were as follows:[176]—first, in specimens growing close together and all equally exposed to the light, the colour of all at the same period of growth was not the same, being a delicate waxy-white in some of the specimens, in others, a light-brown. Secondly, whereas this fungus is generally “invested during infancy with a _white lanugo or down_,”[177] I observed the young Agarics, which presented themselves at first as small semitransparent eminences rising irregularly from a common stalk, and not unlike in appearance the blisters on a chalcedony, to be thickly coated with a light-blue varnish in place of it; the dry _débris_ of which varnish continued to adhere to the surface of the pileus for some time afterwards. Thirdly, the complexion of the spores, commonly described as _white_, was in these specimens pale-rose. Fourthly, they exhaled the strong and peculiar odour of Tarragon; and, finally, in place of being the delicate fungus at table which in July I had always found it, these specimens afforded a distasteful food. The _Ag. ostreatus_ resists cold in a remarkable manner; the circumstance of its being found in winter has procured for it the trivial name of Gelon. _Ag. ostreatus_ is found on the barks of many sorts of trees, and wherever it has once been it is apt to recur frequently afterwards. It may be dressed in any of the more usual ways; but as the flesh is rather over-solid and tenacious, it is all the better for being cooked leisurely over a slow fire.

AGARICUS RUBESCENS, _Persoon_.

PLATE XI. FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.

Subgenus 1. AMANITA.

“Non altrimenti del Cesareo delicato e sano.”—_Vitt._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ covered with warts of different sizes; margins even, convex, flesh turns obscurely red when cut or bruised, slightly moist and shining; _gills_ attenuated behind; _stem_ at first stuffed, in age becoming hollow, bulbous, sometimes scaly; _ring_ wide, marked with striæ; _spores_ nearly elliptical; _smell_ strong; _taste_ not unpleasant.

This is a very delicate fungus, which grows in sufficient abundance to render it of importance in a culinary point of view. It makes excellent ketchup. Cordier reports it as one of the most delicate mushrooms of the Lorraine; and Roques speaks equally well of it. It generally grows in woods, particularly of oak and chestnut, both in summer and autumn. No fungus is more preyed upon than this by mice, snails, and insects.

MORCHELLA ESCULENTA, _Dill._

PLATE XII. FIGS. 6 AND 7.

Tribe 3. MITRATI.

_Morell._

“Sommamente ricercata,”—_Vitt._

Every one knows the Morell, that expensive luxury which the rich are content to procure at great cost from our Italian warehouses, and the poor are fain to do without. It is less generally known that this fungus, though by no means so common with us as some others, (a circumstance partly attributable to the prevailing ignorance as to when and where to look for it, or even of its being indigenous to England,[178]) occurs not unfrequently in our orchards and woods, towards the beginning of summer. Roques reports favourably of some specimens sent to him by the Duke of Athol; and others, from different parts of the country, occasionally find their way into Covent Garden market. The genus _Morchella_ comprises very few species, and they are all good to eat. Persoon remarks, that though the Morell rarely appears in a sandy soil, preferring a calcareous or argillaceous ground, it frequently springs up on sites where charcoal has been burnt or where cinders have been thrown.

_Morchella esculenta._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ very various in shape and hue, the surface broken up into little sinuses or cells, made by folds or plaits of the hymenium, which are more or less salient, and constitute the so-called ribs. These _ribs_ are very irregular, and anastomose with each other throughout; the pileus hollow, opening into the irregular hollow stem. _Spores_ pale-yellow.

_Morchella semilibera._

_Bot. Char._ This may be known from the _M. esculenta_ by being, as its name imports, half free, _i. e._ having the pileus for half its length detached from the stalk. Spores are pale-yellow. Odour, at first feeble, becomes stronger in drying. Occurring less frequently than the last, and much less sapid. Neither of these funguses should be gathered after rain, as they are then insipid and soon spoil.[179]

M. Roques says the Morell may be dressed in a variety of ways, both fresh and dry, with butter or in oil, _au gras_ or _à la crême_. The following receipts for cooking them are from Persoon.

1st. Having washed and cleansed them from the earth which is apt to collect between the plaits, dry thoroughly in a napkin, and put them into a saucepan with pepper, salt, and parsley, adding or not a piece of ham; stew for an hour, pouring in occasionally a little broth to prevent burning; when sufficiently done, bind with the yolks of two or three eggs, and serve on buttered toast.

2nd. _Morelles à l’Italienne._—Having washed and dried, divide them across, put them on the fire with some parsley, scallion, chervil, burnet, tarragon, chives, a little salt, and two spoonfuls of fine oil. Stew till the juice runs out; then thicken with a little flour; serve with bread-crumbs and a squeeze of lemon.

3rd. _Stuffed Morells._—Choose the freshest and whitest Morells, open the stalk at the bottom; wash and wipe them well, fill with veal stuffing, anchovy, or any rich _farce_ you please, securing the ends, and dressing between thin slices of bacon. Serve with a sauce like the last.[180]

HYDNUM REPANDUM, _Linn._

PLATE VIII. FIGS. 3 AND 4.

Subgenus MESOPUS, _Fries_.

“The general use made of this fungus throughout France, Italy,
and Germany leaves no doubt as to its good qualities.”—_Roques._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ fleshy, tawny, red, smoothly tomentose, very irregular in shape, from two to five inches across, lobed or undulated; margin vaulted, acute, wavy; flesh white, turning yellow when cut, if bruised becoming brown-red; _spines_ pale-yellow, unequal, thick-set, apices canino-denticulate or conical, straight or slightly ungulate; occasionally bifid; shorter and more obtuse towards the stalk, on the upper part of which they are somewhat decurrent, leaving small foraminules when detached; _stem_ at first white, then tawny; two inches long, solid, of variable thickness (from half an inch to two inches) more or less flattened, papillated above with the rudiments of spines which have aborted; _spores_ round, white, _taste_ when raw at first pleasant, but presently of a saline bitter, like Glauber salts, somewhat peppery, and _smell_ like that of horse-radish.

This fungus occurs principally in woods, and especially in those of pine and oak; sometimes solitary, but more frequently in company and in rings. In Italy (where the spines have procured for it the name of “Steccherino,” or Hedgehog), it is brought into the market and sold promiscuously with the Chantarelle, to which in colour and in some other respects it bears a resemblance. There is no fungus with which this is likely to be confounded; once seen, it is recognized at a glance afterwards, and may be gathered fearlessly.

According to Paulet, Persoon, and Vittadini, the _Hyd. repandum_ should be cooked for a long time, and with plenty of sauce, otherwise, being deficient in moisture, it is apt to become rather tough; when well stewed it is an excellent dish, with a slight flavour of oysters; it makes also a very good _purée_. Vittadini places it among the most delicate of the funguses of Italy.

FISTULINA HEPATICA, _Fries_.

PLATE XII. FIGS. 1 AND 2.

“Fungus pauperibus esculentus.”—_Schœff._

This fungus, which, in the earlier stages of its development, frequently resembles very closely a tongue in shape, structure, and general appearance, presents later a dark, amorphous, grumous-looking mass, bearing a still more striking likeness to liver. Thus, seen while young, and just beginning to bud out from the oak,[181] its papillated surface, regular shape, and clear fibrous flesh make it an object of interest to many who, introduced to it at an advanced period of growth, can hardly be brought to believe that the blackened misshapen mass, that looks like liver, and that deeply stains the fingers with an unsightly red fluid, can indeed be the same plant. It has, from the earliest-recorded accounts, been designated by names pointing to these resemblances: Cesalpinus calls it _Linguæ_; Wallemb, _Buglossus quercinus_; the vulgar name in Italy is “Lingua quercina,” or “Lingua di castagna.” It constitutes a genus by itself.

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ confluent with the stalk: at first studded on the upper side with minute papillæ (the rudiments of tubes), which afterwards disappear; flesh succulent, fibrous, like beetroot in appearance, with a vinous smell and a slight acid taste; _tubes_ continuous with the fibres of the receptacle, unequal, very short, small, cylindrical, ochraceous-rufescent; at first with closed pores, but as they elongate they become patent; colour at first a dry dusky white, afterwards a yellowish-red; the whole surface more or less sticky, with a gelatinous secretion exuding from it; _sporidia_ ochraceous-green, and matured at different times from the unequal length of the tubes. This fungus varies in size from that of a small kidney to an irregular mass of many pounds’ weight, and of several feet in circumference. I recently picked a specimen which measured nearly five feet round, and weighed upwards of eight pounds; but this is nothing to one found by Mr. Graves, which, on the authority of Mr. Berkeley, weighed nearly thirty pounds.

The _Fistulina hepatica_, which Schœffer calls the Poor Man’s fungus, “fungus pauperibus esculentus,” deserves indeed the epithet if we look to its abundance, which makes it an acquisition to the labouring class wherever it is known; but that it is in any other sense fitted for the poor, or to be eaten by those only who can purchase no other food, is what I cannot subscribe to. No fungus yields a richer gravy, and though rather tough, when grilled it is scarcely to be distinguished from broiled meat. The best way to dress it if old, is to stew it down for stock, and reject the flesh, but if young, it may be eaten in substance, plain, or with minced meat; in all cases its succulency is such that it furnishes its own sauce, which a friend of ours, well versed in the science of the table, declares each time he eats it to be “undeniably good.”

In England the _F. hepatica_ grows principally on old oak-trees, and may be found throughout the summer in great abundance.

AGARICUS ORCELLA,[182] _Bull._

PLATE XI. FIGS. 1 AND 2.

Section MOUCERON, _Fries_.

“Senza dubbio uno de’ migliori funghi indigeni.”—_Vitt._

“Esculentus!”—_Ibid._

This is a very delicate mushroom; it grows either solitary or in company, and sometimes in rings, succeeding occasionally a crop of _Ag. oreades_ and _Ag. prunulus_ which had recently occupied the same site. Its general appearance, once recognized, is such as to render the mistaking it for any other species afterwards unlikely, whilst the least attention to its botanical characters makes it impossible to do so. Its irregular lobed pileus with smooth undulated borders, its decurrent gills, and short solid stem are so many particulars in which at first it might seem to resemble in outline the _Canth. cib._, with which it has, however, nothing else in common. It bears a nearer general resemblance to several of the section _Lactifluus_ of Persoon, but the exudation, or not, of milk would be conclusive in any doubtful case, to say nothing of its peculiar smell of cucumber rind, or syringa leaf,[183] in which respect it resembles no other fungus. The surface is as soft and smooth to the touch as kid, except in wet weather, when it becomes more or less sticky; the size, which does not admit of much variation, is from two to three inches across; whilst young the borders are rolled inwards towards the gills, the stalk is in the centre, and somewhat enlarged at the base; but as the fungus grows the borders unroll themselves, one side grows more rapidly than the other, the stalk becomes, in consequence, eccentric, and this eccentricity is often rendered greater by a lateral twist towards the base. The gills, which at first are white, assume later a pale salmon hue; Berkeley adds that “they are more or less forked, covered with very minute conical papillæ ending in four spiculæ;” those that are entire taper away posteriorly and terminate on the stalk, but the imperfect ones are rounded off midway; the spores are elliptic, and of the colour of brown-holland.[184]

This mushroom is found occasionally, throughout the summer, but autumn is the season to look for it, amidst the grass of woods and pastures, where it abounds. It should be eaten the day it is gathered, either stewed, broiled, or fried with egg and bread-crumbs, like cutlets. When dried, it loses much of its volume and acquires “a very sweet smell,”—“un’ aroma suavissimo” (_Vitt._).

HELVELLA CRISPA, _Fries_.

HELVELLA LACUNOSA, _Afz._

Tribe MITRATI, _Fries_.

“Può essere con vantaggio raccolta ed agli stessi usi delle
spugniole destinata.”—_Vitt._

All _Helvellæ_ are esculent, have an agreeable odour, and bear a general resemblance in flavour to the _Morell_. The _Helvella crispa_, or pallid Helvella of Scopoli and Fries, is, it seems, “not uncommon,”[185] and the _Helvella lacunosa_, or cinereous Helvella of Afzel (on each of whose heads respectively Sowerby and Schœffer place an _inappropriate_ mitre), are both indigenous. They are thus succinctly but excellently described by Mr. Berkeley.

_Helvella crispa_, Fries.

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ whitish, flesh-coloured or yellowish, deflexed, lobed, free, crisped, pallid; _stem_ fistulose, costato-lacunose, 3-5 inches high, snowy-white, deeply lacunose and ribbed, the _ribs_ hollow.

_Helvella lacunosa_, Afzel.

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ inflated, lobed, cinereous,[186] lobes deflexed, adnate, stem fistulose, costato-lacunose; _stem_ white or dusky.

This _Helvella_ is not so common as the last, neither is it so sapid. They both grow in woods and on the stumps of old trees. Bendiscioli places them, for flavour, before the _Morell_, but this is not the general opinion entertained of them.

_Helvella esculenta_, Pers.

PLATE XII. FIGS. 3, 4, AND 5.

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ inflated, irregular, undulated, gyroso-rugose, of a rich dark-brown colour, margin united with the stem; _stem_ white or dusky. In plantations of fir and chestnut adjoining Weybridge Heath, in Surrey. It has not yet been found elsewhere in Britain.

VERPA DIGITALIFORMIS, _Persoon_.

PEZIZA ACETABULUM, _Linn._

Tribe CUPULATI.

These funguses are very similar in their properties to the _Helvellæ_; that is, are not to be despised when one cannot get better, nor to be eaten when one can. “The _Verpa_,” says Vittadini, “though sold in the market, is only to be recommended when no other esculent fungus offers, which is sometimes the case in spring.” The _Peziza acetabulum_ is utterly insipid, and depends entirely for flavour upon the sauce in which it is served. As they are rare in England, I shall merely give the botanical character of each.

_Verpa digitaliformis_, Persoon.

_Pileus_ campanulate, three-quarters of an inch high, more or less closely pressed to the stem, but always free, wrinkled, but not reticulated, under side slightly pubescent, _sporidia_ yellowish, elliptic, _stem_ three inches high, half an inch thick, equal or slightly attenuated downwards, loosely stuffed, by no means hollow, transversely squamulose.[187] Season, spring.

_Peziza acetabulum_, Linn. Series _Aleuria_, Section _Helvella_, Fries.

_Bot. Char._ Deeply cup-shaped, two inches broad, one and a half deep, externally floccose, light-umber, darker within, mouth puckered, tough; _stem_ half to one inch high, smooth, deeply but irregularly costato-lacunose, ribs solid “branching at the top and forming reticulations on the outside of the cup, so as to present the appearance of a cluster of pillars supporting a font or roof, with fret-work between them” (_Berkeley_). Season, spring.

POLYPORUS FRONDOSUS, _Schrank_.

PLATE IV. FIG. 1.

There are many species of _Polyporus_ eaten on the Continent; among the more common kinds to be mentioned are _P. frondosus_ and _P. tuberaster_, Persoon, _P. corylinus_, Mauri, _P. subsquamosus_, Pers., _P. giganteus_, ibid., _P. fomentarius_, ibid., which last is the Amadou, or German tinder fungus. Two of these are local; the _P. tuberaster_, which occurs principally in the kingdom of Naples, and the _P. corylinus_ or that of the cob-nut tree, which (though it might perhaps be cultivated elsewhere) is at present restricted to Rome; both these are excellent for food.

As to the _Polyporus squamosus_, which is as common in England as abroad, in substance it cannot be masticated, and its expressed juice is exceedingly disagreeable; I should not think the _P. fomentarius_, to judge from its texture, promised much better; nor _P. giganteus_, of which the flesh is sometimes so tough as to creak under the knife.

The true _P. frondosus_ is probably rare in England, that which I have met with and have had cooked, without being able to say much in its favour, is the _P. intybaceus_ of Fries, which Mr. Berkeley says is distinguished from the other by having larger pores. Vittadini has not included it among the esculent funguses in his work; Persoon does not recommend it for weak stomachs on account of its toughness.[188] Paulet, indeed, is of a different opinion, telling us that in place of its being heavy for the stomach, _he_ will feel all the lighter who sups upon it. The people in the Vosges seem to have an equal affection for it with this writer, giving it the somewhat whimsical, though really most graphic _sobriquets_ of the Hen-of-the-Woods and the Breeding Hen (Mougeot). Professor Sanguinetti informs me that it sells for six or seven baiocchi in the Roman market, the finer specimens being sent as surprise presents, “per meraviglia,” from poor tenants to hard landlords.

_Bot. Char._ “_Pilei_ very numerous, dimidiate, condensed into a convex tuft from half a foot to a foot broad, imbricated, variously confluent, irregular, at first downy, dusky, then smooth, livid grey; disk depressed, dilated above, from half to one inch broad, convex, the base confluent with the compound stem” (_Fries_).

CLAVARIA CORALLOIDES, _Linn._

PLATE V. FIG. 3.

Subgenus OCHROSPOREA, _Fries_.

“Esculenta deliciosa.”—_Vitt._

All the funguses of this genus being esculent, enter more or less largely into the supplies of the Italian markets. Roques describes seven species; Persoon five; Vittadini gives a detailed account and drawings of three, selecting those principally for the superiority of their flavour over the rest, and because of their greater abundance in the Milanese district. Mr. Berkeley, in a list with which he has favoured me, enumerates four British species as esculent, _C. coralloides_, _C. grisea_, _C. cristata_, and _C. rugosa_; as, however, he has no personal experience of any of these as articles of food, I shall merely give the botanical character of the _C. coralloides_, the most abundant of all the species (for the excellent qualities of which I can myself vouch), furnishing the reader with one or two drawings of other sorts, in further illustration of this elegant genus.

_Clavaria coralloides._

_Bot. Char._ _Pileus_ erect, white; _stem_ rather thick, branches unequal, elongated, mostly acute, pure white, sometimes violet at the base.

_Mode of Dressing._