stew-pan witli butter, salt, pepper and beef gravy, and simmering 

 slowly for an hour. 



The ('oral-like iiydnuni, 11 ijdnum curalluidcs, is (juite uidike 

 the spreading- hydnuju in general appearance, and might easily be 

 thought to belong to a distinct genus. Instead of having a cap 

 it is di\i(lcd into several rather lnoiid, angular or llattencd, 

 spreading l)ran('hes, from whose lower surface the spine-like teeth 

 project. The wlntlc j)lant is white, and the branches and spines 

 are so numerous and dense that it has been compared to a cauli- 

 flower and called the "caulitlower spiny cap." It is often men- 

 tioned as "a fungus that looks like coral." The stem is short or 

 almost none, the branches sometimes starting from the very base. 

 The terminal nnes frequently cnrve upwards at their tips and end 

 in a S[)reading mass of teeth. The teeth vary in length from one- 

 sixth to one-third of an inch, and single plants are generally two 

 to four inches high and nearly as broad, but sometimes they are 

 considerablv larger. 



It gTOWs on prostrate trunks and decaying wood of various 

 trees, but chiefly on beech. It is found in woods, especially in 

 hilly and mountainous districts, and occurs during rainy or show- 

 erv weather from August to October. 



It is a i^retty fungus, and very attractive to tlujse who are 

 neither botanists nor fungus-eaters. And it is as good as it is 

 beautiful. 1 n our botanical expeditions in the vast wilderness of 

 the Adirondack region we were often obliged to camp in the 

 woods several nights in succession. On such occasions this fun- 

 gus sometimes formed a luxurious addition to our ordinarily sim- 

 ple and sometimes very limited bill of fare. 



Two or three other species of llydnum belonging to our flora 

 are classed as edible by some writers, but they have appeared to 

 me to be so dry and tough that trial of them has not been made. 



The Gelatinous hydnum or "jelly hedgehog," Hydnum gela- 

 ti7iosui)i of some authors, Tremellodon gelatinofunn of others, is 

 sometiuu'S eaten raw like a jelly. It is sometimes sweetened 

 with sugar. 



In the family TheJephoreae, the lower surface of the cap has 

 neither gills, pores nor teeth, but is even or slightly wrinkled, 

 occasionally obscurely papillose. A single species belonging to 

 the genus Craterellns will be described as the representative of 

 this family. 



The Cornucopia craterellus, sometimes called the Horn of 

 Plenty, Craterellus cornucopioides, is not attractive in appear- 



77 



