306 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



the circle of observation in such matters may be drawn, it 

 is doubtful if the proverb justifies itself more in any one 

 thing than it does in the case of fungi. What we would 

 consider poisonous fungi are regarded by the Italians as 

 highly nourishing, while the variety we eat is condemned 

 by their market inspectors as unfit for food. Not without 

 reason is this course taken. It seems that mushrooms 

 vary in character and in consequent physical effects accord- 

 ing to the soil from whence they spring, and the variation 

 is decided enough in Italy, particularly in the Papal States, 

 as compared with England, to transform the properties of 

 this article. 



Several forms of animal and vegetable life of a highly 

 nutritious character, that can be had in abundance in this 

 country, are through ignorance or prejudice pronounced 

 unclean and unpalatable. 



Take snails for instance. Such a conservative thing 

 is our English dietary that it is hard to conceive of a con- 

 dition of existence short of absolute famine that would 

 induce our people to appease their hunger with anything 

 so repugnant to their ideas of suitable food as the animals 

 just mentioned, and yet there is a pretty free consumption 

 in all our towns of marine varieties of this very creature. 

 As we indulge in fresh-water as well as in salt-water fish, 

 it seems singular that we should abhor the land-snail while 

 smacking our lips over that sent up to our markets from 

 tidal waters. 



Our continental neighbours are glad to have every 

 variety of creature, and, if anything, have a preference for 

 the land species. In truth, if a choice is to be made, the 

 land snails ought decidedly to be preferred to the sea ones. 



