INTRODUCTION. 7 



umbrella or parasol, in others the stem is absent ; some are 

 like a hedgehog, some are funnel shape. 



Sometimes the form and color so nearly resemble that of an 

 ox tongue (Fistulina hepatica) or the lobe of a liver. "Dr. 

 Badhani says in the days of enchanted trees, you would not 

 have cut it off to pickle or eat it on any account, lest the 

 knight to whom it belonged should afterwards come to claim it 

 of yoU;" 



In some species the form is that of coral (Clavaric), in some 

 like a small stag horn, a spinning top or a base-ball ; you will 

 meet with every imaginable form. Indeed, so protean are 

 they in shape, that description fails in giving an adequate idea 

 of their variety. 



Color. — In color they are almost as variable as in shape. 

 We have all shades of red, from light pink to the deepest 

 crimson ; all the different shades of yellow, brown, from ochre 

 to the deepest umber ; and every gradation of black, from lead 

 to sooty black, violet and purple, from solferina to the most 

 beautiful amethyst. White or creamy tints are very common. 



Odors. — Odors are as varied as form and color — from the 

 pleasant odor of a ripe apricot (chanterelle) to the most repug- 

 nant odor of a carrion. There are some which have the scent 

 of new-mown hay, of violets, of anise, of new meal, etc., 

 while some have the scent of garlic and tainted fish. 



Properties. — Some persons are very fond of tasting, and 

 with fungi they can have an opportunity to gratify that pro- 

 pensity ; for in fungi they will meet wnth a variety of flavors, 

 some of which will be calculated to please, and others to dis- 

 gust. In the raw state, probably, the sharp and unpleasant 

 taste prevails, but in the majority of species, which, when 

 properly cooked, are made sweet and eatable. 



