group is a spring specimen, growing from a fissure in the horizontal surface of a tree rudely cut down ; 

 they prefer such sites, and as the wood decays downwards they extend themselves, continuing for years to 

 appear several times in a season after thunder-storms; we have never found them growing from the roots 

 or bark of trees, nor on the ground. Aiound Hayes there are four different sites in which we find them : 

 two of these stumps are lime, one is ash, the other is too much decayed to be recognized, but is pro- 

 bably lime. 



As an esculent fungus our present subject has considerable claims to estimation, although very 

 peculiar in flavour, resembling gingerbread ! Eaten alone the substance is tough, unless in spring when 

 most fleshy ; the gingerbread flavour, too, may not be liked, but to improve a stew either of fish or flesh it is 

 very valuable. They have in Germany a most exquisite mode of stewing carp, with " Jews' sauce," and 

 gingerbread is one of the ingredients employed : we are not acquainted sufiicieutly with the German 

 aiisine to assert that it is as a substitute for this Agaric that the said gingerbread is used, but we can answer 

 for the fungus being preferable when to be procured ; it dries well like A. oreades, and gives out in cooking 

 a bright brovm colour, far more pleasing to the eye in gravies than blacker ketchups are. 



Most Agarics with fistulose stems should be avoided, but that, as a rule, they cannot be pronounced 

 dangerous, the species under consideration is a proof. Corda has made two species of our present 

 subject, but there seems no real difference beyond their being major and minor forms, and as such they 

 are united by Fries under A. vmtabilis, but he is wrong in saying this is not the commonly eaten " Stock- 

 schwam," which it certainly is. Corda (in Krombholz) says A. caudicinus of Trattinick is the " Stock- 

 schwatii" of Germany, and A. mutah'dis of Schajffer the " Famiglioli gialli huoni" of Italy — both being 

 esculent. Whether, tlierefore, we consider them as one or two species is immaterial, provided neither is 

 confounded with the offensive and poisonous white- spored A. melleus, the A. polymyces, or Tete de Medme. 

 Persoon, in his ' Champignons Comestibles,' distinguishes the esculent Agaric with its synonyms correctly. 

 Bulliard's figure (543, 0. P.) is good, but it is a pity he calls it A. annularis, because he applies the same 

 name to plate 377, which is the poisonous one. Vittadini, misled among synonyms, perhaps by Fries 

 considering the " StockscJnvam" to be A. inellens, fights a stormy battle of words in its behalf, and thereby 

 was near causing the death of a worthy family, who, thinking the poor innocent * Agaric had been sorely 

 slandered, had a dish of it cooked, but luckily found it so nauseous that to eat was impossible, or they 

 would certainly have died the death of Paulet's dog: "L'animal s'est plaint toute la nuit, et il est mort 

 douze heures apres la digestion de la substance veneneuse." 



* " E Meleo, attesa la sua innocenza ed abbondanza, merita a buon dritto d'essere annoverato tra i funglii com- 

 mestibUi." — Tittadini, Bei Funghi Mangerecci. 



