THE MILKY MUSHROOM. 89 



ing it ourselves, but the evidence is very strong that 

 this suspicion is one of our insular prejudices. 



Another of the milk mushrooms which is less 

 common {Lactarius contivversus) equals the last in 

 size, is also white, but becomes stained, very often, 

 with dark red, and has flesh coloured gills. This, 

 again, has always been held suspicious, but although 

 the white milk is acrid or peppery, this is dispersed 

 by cooking, and it may be eaten without incon- 

 venience. All we desire, at this time, to infer from 

 this is that the number of poisonous or disagreeable 

 fungi is less than has been suspected. There are a 

 few undoubtedly dangerous, but their number will 

 bear no comparison with the number of those that 

 are innocuous. We have always cautioned persons 

 against making experiments, and do so still, but it is 

 possible to cherish unreasonable suspicions. 



There is a diversity of opinion as to the estimation 

 in which the orange milk mushroom should be held 

 as an esculent. Some will not hesitate to endorse the 

 opinion of Sir J. E. Smith, that "it is the most 

 delicious mushroom known ; " whilst others will 

 contend that it has been much overrated. Berkeley 

 writes of it thus — " Dr Badham stayed with me once, 

 and we had all sorts of things cooked. At last we 

 got Lactarius deliciosus, and my cook said she was 

 sure if we ate it we should be poisoned, and she 

 absolutely refused to cook it. It is one which grows 

 in very great abundance in fir woods occasionally ; 



