234 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



them over a quick fire. When ready, add cream and 

 yolk of egg, to hind them together. Some tastes are 

 in favour of having them dressed a la Provcncalc, in 

 that case they must be cut in two, washed and 

 dried as before, and then soal-ced in oil for one or two 

 hours with salt, pepper, and a clove of garlic ; at 

 the end of this time they should be put into a stew- 

 pan with oil, and cooked over a brisk fire ; when 

 done, a little chopped parsley and some lemon-juice 

 should be added. There is a delicacy under the 

 form of stuffed mushrooms, which, although unknown 

 to me by personal knowledge, is so strongly re- 

 commended by those who count them amongst their 

 experiences, that I am induced to quote M. Roque's 

 instructions for its preparation. ' Take mushrooms 

 of medium size, and prepare for them at the same 

 time the following stuffing — a piece of butter, grated 

 bacon, some bread-crumbs, sweet herbs, garlic, salt, 

 coarse pepper, and the least morsel of spice ; when 

 these are well mixed together, turn the mushrooms 

 over with the concave side upwards, take away the 

 stems and fill the concavity with this stuffing ; then 

 wrap each one in paper, and cook it in a pan, adding 

 a spoonful of oil as occasion may require. If thought 

 well a few slices of fowl, partridge, or pheasant may 

 be added.' There is also an economical method, 

 and one which may serve alternately with, or as a 

 substitute for, tiie slovenly old English plan, which 

 seems to reduce all cooking to three types — roast 

 beef, boiled mutton, and grilled chops and steaks ; 

 even mushrooms must be cooked on one of these 

 plans, unless we can induce a change for the better. 

 Having peeled your mushrooms, and removed the 

 stems, place them in a stewpan with fresh butter, 

 and let them stew over a brisk fire ; when the butter 

 is melted, squeeze in the juice of a lemon ; after a 

 little while add salt, pepper, spice, and a spoonful of 

 water in which a clove of garlic has soaked for half 

 an hour ; let them stew together for about an hour, 

 and then add yolic of egg to bind them ; pour your 

 stew upon some small crusts of bread which you 

 have previously fried in butter. A charming variety 

 may be found on ' cold mutton days ' in hashing the 

 mutton with mushrooms, making what our transmarine 

 neighbours would call ' hachis aux champignons.' 

 For this, two dozen mushrooms should be selected, 

 washed, and well dried, then put in a stewpan with 

 a piece of butter. When the butter is melted, stir 

 in a tablespoonful of flour, two wine-glasses of beef 

 gravy, salt, pepper, and a bay-leaf. These should 

 be cooked until reduced one-half, and then poured 

 over the hashed leg of mutton. The whole should 

 be well mixed together, and served with small crusts 

 of bread fried in butter." 



The active chemical principle, which in very rare 

 instances causes inconvenience or even death from 

 eating fungi, is called muscarine ; it is the same 

 which, I believe, occurs in putrid, poisonous meat, but 

 how it is formed in the latter I do not know. Foul- 



smelling and repulsive-looking species are rich in it, 

 but most fungi are harmless, and a few country walks 

 in the early autumn, in the company of a well- 

 informed mycologist, would furnish invaluable hints 

 to any person of average intelligence, and teach more 

 than a year in a study or library would do. 



We eat and cultivate the Agaricus campestris, or 

 common field mushroom ; but Dr. Cooke tells me 

 that probably many other species could be as readily 

 cultivated, and that much still has to be made out, 

 and that a wide field lies before the enterprising 

 fungiculturist. I can assure the reader that the 

 Lactarius ddiciosus and some of the Agarici proceri are 

 excellent and abundant, and equal to the sorts held 

 in the highest favour by the general public. 



The best method of getting information on this 

 most difficult subject, whicli cannot be learnt from 

 books, would be to attend lectures on fungi from 

 some practical man. I can imagine the excellent 

 and popular address which such a lecturer as the 

 Rev. John Vize would give ; and in such a way, and 

 in it alone, could reliable information be conveyed 

 that would be of service to learners. Scientific 



• 



mycologists rather pride themselves, it seems to me, 

 on ignoring the utility of fungi as food, and think it 

 a degradation of their subject ; but, after all, useful- 

 ness ought to play an important part in all scientific 

 pursuits, and the public would be led to see the 

 beauty and value of the study of fungi did some 

 obvious advantage attend it. This year the Woolhope 

 will meet at Hereford on the last day of September, 

 and will then go on to Ludlow to pass a couple of 

 days there in the midst of delightful country. I am 

 sure that the conscientious and able honorary secre- 

 tary, Mr. H. C. Moore, formerly of the Bombay 

 Engineers, and now of 26, Broad Street, Hereford, 

 would gladly take the names of candidates for the 

 membership of this venerable and excellent Field 

 Club. Membership is, I believe, a matter of half-a- 

 guinea subscription, which entitles to a copy of the 

 annual transactions, so that, should no meeting be 

 attended, the money is well laid out. May this 

 year's reunion be larger, and favoured with warmer 

 weather than the last one, which, however, had 

 exceptional cold to face, and was in marked contrast 

 to the sultry rambles which we enjoyed in 1886. 

 IVimbornc. 



ASTRONOMY. 

 By John Browning, F.R.A.S. 



DR. ZELBE has pubHshed the result of a new 

 calculation of the orbit of Brook's comet, from 

 which it appears that the orbit is elliptical, and has a 

 period of about 12^ years. Dadvidson's comet is 

 now scarcely one-tenth as brilliant as it was at the 

 time of its discovery. 



INIr. Stanley Williams has published an account of 

 the changes he has observed in the markings on the 



