The Scottish Naturalist. 25 



collected, including the rare Scheuchzeria palustris. In reference to this plant 

 Mr. Sadler observed thai he regretted to say that an attempt had been 

 made to drain and plant the "Bog," which, if successful, would probably 

 result in the extinction of the Scheuchzeria in this, its only Scottish station. 

 Dr. Buchanan White read a Paper on " Sugaring for Moths : how, when, and 

 where to do it." (Vide p. 29.) At the close of the Meeting, the Members of 

 the Society had a "Fungus Feast," for the purpose of testing the esculent 

 qualities of several Fungi found in the neighbourhood of Perth.* 



* With reference to this the following appeared in "Punch.'' We hope that 

 the numerous readers of our contemporary will profit by the advice given : — 



"MVCOPHAGY AND MYCOLOGY." 



Sweet Mr. Punch, 



How do you think you would have relished the repast mentioned in the 

 subjoined extract from a newspaper? One can imagine it to have been the 

 counterpart of a genuine ' Dinner after the Manner of the Ancients" ; par- 

 ticularly the Ancient Romans : — 



"Perth.— Society of Natural Science.— At a meeting of the Perthshire Society 

 of Natural .Science, held on Friday evening, a paper was read liy MR. Sai>LER. 

 assistant to Proviso r IlAi.Koii:, IMinburgh, entitled 'Contributions to the Flura 

 of Perthshire,' and one by DR. BUCHANAN WHITE, President of the Society, on 

 'Sugaring for Moths! After the meeting, the members adjourned to the Moncreiffe 

 Anns Hotel, where supper was prepared, consisting of different species of funguses, 

 cooked in almost every conceivable manner. The dishes most relished were Buk>t»> 

 crftdis, Coprinus coyiatui, and Aanriru.i cayvp&ftrfs. 



''Sunt tibi boleti,fu nio suillos." Your friend Martial (I don't 



mean Captain I )yn<;\vi i.r) drew a distinction not understood by modern 

 mycologists and mycophagists. Every boletus nowadays is a fundus, though 

 not every fungus is a boletus. Of course you know that a great variety of 

 funguses are eatable ; but few Britons dare venture upon any but the Common 

 Mushroom [Agaric us campc.slris above named.) Very likely their fear may 

 be heightened by apprehension of injury to their teeth in table-talk over 

 things with such crackjaw names as those of which the foregoing are mild ex- 

 amples. It is an exertion, for epicures at least, to articulate them. You may 

 find no difficulty in saying Triih.<>loma gainiw.us, Amanita strobiliformis, or 

 Lcpiota procerus. But some of your readers will have a little. However, there 

 is no help for it. Wo have hardly any trivi.il name for any fungus but the Com- 

 mon Mushroom aforesaid. The Marasmius Oreades is called in English-French 

 "Champignon," the Cantharellus cibariu;, in the same tongue, " Chantarelle" ; 

 we name the Morchella esculenta " Morel," and the Tuber cEstivum "Truffle,'' 

 but otherwise almost every fungus which the people do not call a Mushroom, 

 they call a toadstool. The: Boletus edulis enjoyed by the Perthshire naturalists 

 would be "to the general " a toadstool of the fattest and most, frightful species ; the 

 more knowing inhabitants of Bordeaux regale themselves upon it as a delicacy 

 under the name eep, so called, I fancy, because thereabouts it likes to grow at 

 the foot of the vine. They, you see, don't make a mouthful of the word, bu 

 they eat the thing. Do likewise if ever you have a chance, which you may have 

 early next summer, please Jupiter Pluvius, and if you like, you can also explore the 

 woodlands and see where it grows, with other things of the same sort equally 

 good, no less tough to the organs of speech, and equally tender to the nerves of 

 taste, if you will vouchsafe to be guided by your ancient 



SMl-I fungus." 



