333 



eaten fresh in soups and sauces, and then loses much of its intoxicating pro- 

 perty : when steeped in the juice of the berries of Vaccinium rdiginosum, its 

 effects are those of strong wine. One large or two small Fungi is a common 

 dose to produce a pleasant intoxication for a whole day, particularly if water 

 be drank after it, which augments the narcotic principle. The desired effect 

 comes on from one to two hours after taking the Fungus. Giddiness and 

 drunkenness result in the same manner as from wine or spirits ; cheerful emo- 

 tions of the mind are first produced; the countenance becomes flushed ; invol- 

 untary words and actions follow, and sometimes at last an entire loss of con- 

 sciousness. It renders some remarkably active, and proves highly stimulant 

 to muscular exertion : by too large a dose, violent spasmodic effects are pro- 

 duced. So very exciting to the nervous system, in many individuals, is this 

 Fungus, that the effects are often very ludicrous. If a person under its influ- 

 ence wishes to step over a straw or small stick, he takes a stride or a jump 

 sufficient to clear the trunk of a tree ; a talkative person cannot keep silence or 

 secrets ; and one fond of music is perpetually singing. The most singular 

 effect of the Amanita is the influence it possesses over the urine. It is said, 

 that, from time immemorial, the inhabitants have known that the Fungus im- 

 parts an intoxicating quality to that secretion, which continues for a considera- 

 ble time after taking it. For instance, a man moderately intoxicated to-day 

 will, by the next morning, have slept himself sober, but (as is the custom), by 

 taking a tea-cup of his urine he will be more powerfully intoxicated than he 

 was the preceding day. It is therefore not uncommon for confirmed drunkards 

 to preserve their urine as a precious liquor against a scarcity of the Fungus. 

 This intoxicating property of the urine is capable of being propagated ; for 

 every one who partakes of it has his urine similarly affected. Thus, with a 

 very few Amanita;, a party of drunkards may keep up their debauch for a 

 week. Dr. Langsdorff mentions, that by means of the second person taking 

 the urine of the first, the third that of the second, and so on, the intoxication 

 may be propagated through five individuals." 



Of parasitical Fungi, the most important are those which are called dry rot, 

 such as Polyporus destructor, Merulius lacrymans and vastator, &c, which 

 are the pest of wooden constructions ; next to these come the blight in corn, 

 occasioned by Puccinia graminis ; the smut and ergot, if they are really any 

 thing more than the diseased and disorganized tissue of the plants affected ; 

 the rust, which is owing to the ravages of iEcidiums ; and finally, in this class 

 is to be included what we call mildew, minute simple articulated Mucors, Mu- 

 cedos, and Byssi. The genus Rhizomorpha, which vegetates in dark mines 

 far from the light of day, is remarkable for its phosphorescent properties. In 

 the coal mines near Dresden the species are described as giving those places 

 the air of an enchanted castle ; the roofs, walls, and pillars, are entirely co- 

 vered with them, their beautiful light almost dazzling the eye. The light is 

 found to increase with the temperature of the mines. Ed. P. J. 14. 178. It 

 is a most remarkable circumstance, and one which deserves particular inquiry, 

 that the growth of the minute Fungi, which constitute what is called mouldi- 

 ness, is effectually prevented by any kind of perfume. It is known that books 

 will not become mouldy in the neighbourhood of Russia leather, nor any sub- 

 stance if placed within the influence of some essential oil. Ibid. 8. 34. Bo- 

 letus igniarius is used in India as a styptic, as well as for Amadou. Ainslie > 

 1. 5. The Boleti, when wounded, heals much in the same manner as the flesh 

 of animals. Edin. Philosoph. Journ. 14. 369. 



Examples. § Coniomycetes (Uredo, iEcidium, Mucor). 

 § Gasteromycetes (Sclerotium, Physarum, Lycoperdon). 

 § Pyrenomycetes (Hysterium, Sphseria). 



