THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 271 



over the faugi, both wliile collecting and returning home, to prevent 

 the attack of flies, etc., which are always on the look-out ; in fact, 

 where they are iu any abundance it is well to collect and prepare them 

 in heaps on the ground and put them all in the basket at once, as 

 by constantly opening you may truly shut in instead of out many 

 of your greatest enemies. 



The above directions will stand good for most of the agarics, 

 helvellas, morells, boleti, lycoperdons, etc.; there are a few exceptions, 

 however, as Agaricus atramentarious and cornatus, which are of 

 such a juicy, or deliquescent, nature that, in a few hours or less, a 

 large portion of the fungus turns to liquid, and would make a 

 miserable mess and confusion in a basket with other species. They 

 should, therefore, be collected in a large pie-dish or some other earthen 

 vessel. 



The truffle will require a very diflerent process in collecting, the 

 task being generally left to dogs trained for the purpose, and known 

 as trufile-dogs. The truffle-hunters in Hampshire (where they are 

 rather common on the chalk, and especially under beech-trees) are 

 furnished with a stout ash stick, about the size of an ordinary 

 broom-handle, and tapered at one end to a rather stout blunt point ; 

 this point, for about three inches, is iron, in the form of an extin- 

 guisher, and firmly fitted on the wood. With this, when the dogs 

 have indicated the whereabouts by scratching, the collector grubs 

 them up. As they are of a solid nature, and in form and size some- 

 what resembling potatoes, of a dark colour, with an irregular, warty 

 surface, they may be collected iu a bag, basket, or whatever is most 

 convenient. Having now collected and conveyed home our specimens, 

 our next aim is either to preserve or prepare them for the table. Of 

 course, I now allude to the thirty species which, with proper treat- 

 ment, are known to be wholesome, and which are natives of our 

 land and comparatively common. 



SALTING AND PICKLING. 



They may be preserved m a variety of ways for the table, the 

 most usual being dried in the open air, strung on strings, or pi-e- 

 served in oil, vinegar, or brine. Agaricus procerus, Boletus edulis, 

 and Tuber ciberium may be even preferred raw ; while others, as the 

 helvellas, having somewhat the consistence of leather, are decidedly 

 improved by cooking. Tliere can be little doubt we have poisonous 

 species, as Boletus luridus, Agaricus muscarious, etc., care should, 

 therefore, be taken in collecting-, and all brine, vinegar, or oil in 

 which they have been preserved should be thrown away, as it is 

 supposed that the poison is extracted by the liquor in which they 

 have been preserved, while the fungus, even in poisonous species, 

 becomes a wholesome food. 



PRESERYATION OF FUNGI IN LIQUIDS. 



The higher orders of fungi rarely appear in the herbarium, from 

 the erroneous impression that it is impossible to dry them. It is 

 quite true that many are of so delicate, fragile, and watery a nature, 

 that it is quite impossible to dry and press them ; for these there is 



September. 



