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Badham, in  the  pursuit  of  gastronomies! my- cology, became my  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend. I can confidently  recommend  him  to  others  who may be  inclined  to  pursue  the  same  path  of  in- vestigation, which will  conduct  them  through pleasant places,  if  they  delight  in  woods  and lanes.

If a second  edition  of  this  book  has  been published, some  gross  but  obvious  errors  of  typo- graphy and arrangement  will,  no  doubt,  have  been corrected. It is  pleasant  reading — the  sprightly work of  a botanist  and  a scholar.

As yet  I have  been  unable  to  test  the  merits  of all  the  fungi  enumerated  by  Badham  as  esculent. Of those which  I have  tasted,  some,  certainly,  do deserve  his  commendations; but,  I think,  not  all. In the  first  place,  I have  not  found  one  of  them preferable in  flavour  to  the  common  mushroom, except the  Agaricus  prunulus, and  perhaps  the Agaricus nebularis. The first  of  these  resembles, but surpasses,  the  ordinary  mushroom,  and  has also a peculiar,  and  very  delicate  smack  of  its  own, which is  a little  like  its  smell,  and  that  may  be compared  to  the  perfume  of  clematis,  or  of  bitter almonds, though  I confess  I have  heard  it  likened to the  scent  of  yellow  soap. It is  generally  a white,  cream-coloured,  or  whity-brown  fungus, sometimes, on  being  plucked,  turning  in  some places faintly  yellow,  with  a cap  often  lobed,  very fleshy, thick,  and  when  young,  firm. The gills  are at first  colourless,  as  the  cap  expands  they  become slightly flesh-coloured,  then  assume  a neutral  tint, and lastly  turn  black. The stalk  is  very  thick  in proportion  to  the  cap,  and  generally  bulges  much at the  base. Badham says  that  this  fungus  appears only in  the  spring. He concluded  this  from  ob- servations which were  perhaps  too  local. I have never found  the  prunulus  before  nearly  the  middle of June,  and  have  met  with  some  specimens  as  late as November. Like other  fungi,  it  requires  for the antecedents  of  its  appearance,  some  amount of rain,  particularly  thundershowers,  followed  by moist  temperate  weather. It is  very  good  broiled; but the  best  way  of  cooking  it  is  to  bake  it,  with a little butter,  pepper,  and  salt,  in  an  oven,  on  a plate,  under  a basin. A great quantity  of  gravy comes out  of  it,  mingled,  in  the  case  of  a good specimen, with  osmazome,  which  tastes  very much like  the  similar  brown  exudation  on  the skin of  a roast  leg  of  mutton. An epicure  with no particular  weakness  for  funguses  would  accept the prunulus  as  a remarkably  flavorous  common mushroom; from which,  however,  it  differs  not only in  conformation,  and  the  other  sensible properties, above-mentioned,  but  also  in  the  ca- pability of being  dried,  and  of  keeping  in  that state; whereas  the  common  mushroom  is  deli- quescent, and rots  in  two  or  three  days. Cut into pieces,  and  allowed  to  dry,  the  prunulus may be  kept  for  a year  and  more,  for  the  pur- pose of being  put  into  hashes  and  stews,  which it choicely  flavours.

The prunulus  grows  in  parks  and  woods,  some- times near the  foot  of  a tree,  sometimes  in  the open, often  in  rings,  generally  in  company,  now and then  solitary. In common  with  many  other funguses, it  oomes  up  year  after  year  in  the  same places. Those who  have  learned  to  love  it,  and

WEEK. [Octobxb 15,  1859.

to look  for  it,  will  often  be  exasperated  by  finding the finest  specimens  knocked  to  pieces  by  the boys who  have  picked  it  for  a mushroom,  and destroyed it  on  supposing  themselves  to  have  dis- covered it to  be  a toadstool.

The Agaricus  nebularis  is  a fungus  which  appears about the  middle  of  October,  generally  in  fairy rings, sometimes  alone. It is  at  first  nearly  white, both cap  and  gills,  but  soon,  especially  in  dry weather, the  cap  becomes  brown,  and  the  gills turn rather  Jbrownish. The latter  are  slightly decurrent; that is,  instead  of  extending  horizon- tally under the  cap  from  circumference  to  centre, they run  a little  way  down  the  stem  in  concave lines, delineating  a form  like  that  of  a bell- mouthed wine-glass, only  broader  and  shallower in proportion. This is  a very  excellent  fungus: it has,  in  addition  to  the  mushroom  flavour,  a certain  piquancy,  and  it  also  contains  much  osma- zome, so that  its  flesh,  of  all  the  funguses  that  I know,  possesses  most  their  common  character- istic of resembling  meat. Broiling is  the  best  way of cooking  this  toadstool; the  process  which  deve- lopes its  savour  in  the  highest  degree. When fresh gathered, on  being  cut  or  broken,  it  exhales  an odour  which  has  been  compared  to  that  of  curd- cheese. Hence it  is  termed,  in  some  places,  the “New Cheese ” mushroom. I suppose the  Agaricus nebularis is  identical  with  what  the  people  in  the North of  England,  meaning  the  same  thing  with botanists, call  the  Fog  Mushroom. It does  cer- tainly come up  in  foggy  weather,  if  that  is  what is intended  by  the  word  nebularis. Badham gives this toadstool  the  character  of  being  pre-eminently light of  digestion. I can indorse  this  testimony. Here may  be  mentioned  the  fact  that  several other kinds  of  toadstools  have  been  found  by  me not  only  not  to  produce  any  dyspeptic  symptoms, but actually  to  create,  after  having  been  eaten, a positive sense  of  comfort  and  wellbeing  in  the interior, like  that  which  fortunate  persons  expe- rience now and  then  when  they  have  partaken of the  results  of  very  excellent  cookery. Some French dishes  are  examples  under  the  latter head; and British  prejudice  may  suggest  that the probable  nature  of  their  ingredients  renders it no  wonder  that  any  sensations  consequent  on indulgence  in  them,  should  exactly  resemble  those to which  I have  compared  their  effects  on  the digestive system.

A very delicate  and  dainty  toadstool  is  the Boletus edulis; a toadstool  which  would  generally be called  a regular  one — emphatically  a toadstool — a fungus not  like  a mushroom  at  all  as  to  appear- ance, except in  having  a cap  and  a stalk. Instead of gills  under  the  cap,  it  is  furnished  with  tubes arranged perpendicularly,  not  horizontally,  and standing dose  together,  so  as  to  present  a surface consisting of  their  united  orifices,  which  are  at first  closed,  and,  when  the  cap  has  just  expanded, give its  under  part  the  appearance  of  being  filled with drab-coloured  cement,  day,  or  wax. After- wards they open,  and  then  the  cap,  beneath, looks like  a mass  of  sponge,  in  colour  and  porosity very similar  to  the  section  of  a piece  of  ginger- bread. The outside  of  the  cap  varies  from  light, dark brown,  or  bronze,  to  bay  or  nearly  black,  or to  a mixture  of  these  tints. The stalk,  when  very