196 BRITISH EDIBLE FUNGI. 



is surprising, since a single specimen is often sufficient 

 for several families. When raw the taste is pleasant, 

 reminding one of a fresh filbert ; when cooked, deli- 

 cate and mild, but scarcely awakening any remin- 

 iscences of ordinary mushrooms. 



The only suggestions for cooking with which we 

 are acquainted are those given by Roques. The 

 specimens should first be w^ell washed in warm water 

 to clear them from particles of sand or earth, and 

 then drained. Cut into a convenient size, the seg- 

 ments should be baked with butter, parsley, a little 

 eschalot or a fragment of garlic, and seasoned with 

 pepper and salt. When tender, cream and yolk of 

 eggs may be added. During the baking it should be 

 moistened occasionally with a few spoonfuls of broth 

 or gravy. In Austria it is simply fried with butter 

 and sweet herbs, and this primitive plan we have 

 followed for ourselves, whenever good fortune has 

 brought a specimen in our way. Some years since 

 we found one for two or three successive years at the 

 base of the same old tree in Caen Wood, Highgate, 

 and then it appeared no more. 



In this connection we may allude to the tremellas, 

 which are not uncommon, but little sought after for 

 the table. Our own experience has been but small, 

 and that not very encouraging. The only species 

 which gave satisfaction was the large pale tremella, 

 which reminds one so strongly of sparassis. This 

 {Tremella froiidosa), in masses from six to nine inches 



