252 FUNGI. 



thatch, growing alone or in groups, the pale brown cap 

 covered with silky scales. 



The Crepidotus group comprises a number of small 

 fungi, many of them less than an inch across, with lateral 

 stems, or no stems at all. The Variable Crepidotus 

 (C. variabilis, Plate XVII., fig. 10), is very common on 

 dead sticks, and we have found it in every county where 

 we have searched for fungi. 



We now come to a series where purple mingles with 

 the brownish hue of the spores. The first group of these 

 Psalliota, contains our much respected edible mushroom, 

 (P. pratensis, Plate XVII, fig. 18). 



"Then sleep the seasons, full of might, 

 "While slowly swells the pod, 

 And rounds the peach, and in the night, 

 The mushroom burst the sod." 



How shall we sufficiently praise this popular plant ! 

 Whether gathered in its infancy as "buttons* for a 

 pickle, or in its mid age, for frying or stewing, it is 

 a delicious addition to the chop or cutlet, and we do 

 not believe in its effects being harmful, if taken with 

 other food. Berkeley gives this direction with refer- 

 ence to all edible fungi, to eat them with plenty of bread, 

 or other simple food, most of the instances where they 

 have had an evil effect have been when taken alone. 

 Last autumn our daily rambles in Kent were professedly 

 in search of mushrooms, and we seldom sat down to 

 dinner without a dish of our gatherings, yet none of our 

 party suffered in the slightest degree. Sheep are 

 fond of mushrooms, and we found it seldom repaid us 



