" There is one vegetable production deserving notice from its importance as an article of food to the 

 Fuegians. It is a globular bright-yellow fungus, which grows in vast numbers on the beech-trees. When 

 young it is elastic and turgid, with a smooth surface ; but when mature it slirinks, becomes tougher, and 

 has its entire surface deeply pitted or honeycombed. This fungus belongs to a new and curious genus.' 

 I found a second species on another species of beech in ChUi ; and Dr. Hooker informs me, that just lately 

 a third species has been discovered on a third species of beech in Van Diemen's Laud. How singiilar is 

 this relationship between parasitical fungi and the trees on which they grow in distant parts of the world ! 

 In Terra del Fuego the fungus, in its tough and mature state, is collected in large quantities by the women 

 and children, and is eaten uncooked. It has a mucilaginous, shghtly sweet taste, with a faint smell, like 

 that of a mushroom : with the exception of a few berries, cliiefly of a dwarf arbutus, the natives eat no 

 vegetable food besides this fungus. In New Zealand, before the introduction of the potato, the roots of 

 the fern were largely consumed. At the present time, I believe Terra del Fuego is the only country in the 

 world where a cryptogamic plant affords a staple article of food." — Darwin's Journal, 2nd edit. p. 2.!36. 



Giving this interesting extract just as it stands, it appears to us that the great trade in Italy and 

 France in fresh and dried funguses of various kinds is as much a staple use of Oi-i/ptogamia as that of the 

 Fuegians, who eat them themselves instead of selHng them, and who probably would be glad to exchange 

 these natural productions for animal food if they could. It seems worth consideration, whether a trade in 

 dried Cyttarias might not be opened, since they are so extremely abundant, and Morels, &c., fetch such 

 great prices. In a raw state the flavour does not appear to be strong, but in many cases cooking is 

 necessary to develope it. 



' Described from my specimens and notes by the Kev. M. J. Berkeley, in the Liiineau Transactions (vol. xix. 

 p. 37), under the name Cyttaria Barwinii .- the Chilian species is C. Berteroii. This genus is alUed to Buhjaria. 



