Hi Journal of Proceedings. 



ous and turns to an azure colour when cut or broken, and Dr. Cooke 

 thought the plant was designed by Providence to indicate " blue ruin" 

 to the unwary fungus-eater ! 



Mr.Worthington Smith thought the Doctor had made a slight slip in 

 stating that Lactarius dcliciosiis was the only edible member of the genus, 

 as the allied L. volemnm grew in Epping Forest, and was universally 

 allowed to be one of the greatest gastronomic delicacies in the family 

 of mushrooms. He had been several times asked during the afternoon 

 whether there was any general rule for distinguishing an edible from a 

 poisonous species ; no such general rule existed. Ftmgi like other 

 natural objects required to be studied to be well known. In addition 

 to the anatomical details mentioned by Dr. Cooke, Mr. Smith stated 

 that there were many empirical characters of great importance in the 

 discrimination oi fungi. For instance, the habitat is always of great 

 value, and notice should be taken whether the fungus to be determined 

 grew in a wood, a hedgeside, or meadow. If in a wood the character 

 of the trees should be noted ; some fungi are peculiar to Fir woods, 

 others to plantations of Beeches, Larches, and other trees. If the fungi 

 grow on trunks or stumps, especial attention must be paid to the 

 nature of the trunks, whether of Oak, Elm, Beech, Fir, or any other 

 tree or bush. The same rule applied to fallen twigs and dead leaves. 

 The habit also was of great value, whether growing in a solitary 

 manner, in groups, in "fairy-rings," one or two together, or in great 

 companies. Coming to the plant itself, Mr. Smith said that as there 

 were about i,ooo species of mushroom-like /j^w^t in this country, it was 

 evident that only the most careful examination of all parts of the struc- 

 ture, stem, pileus, gills, and spores would enable the botanist to dis- 

 criminate many critical species. Especial attention should be paid to 

 the top, whether it is fleshy or thin ; its "flesh " dry, watery or milky ; 

 its upper portion smooth, rough, warted, or gelatinous ; the stetn may 

 be rough or smooth, with or without a ring, springing from a bulb or 

 from an attenuated root-like growth, hollow or solid, with or without 

 bark, have pith or be pithless. The gills or plates under the top must 

 be noted, whether these structures are thick or thin, crowded together 

 or distant from each other, whether running down the stem or free 

 from it, and whether the colour is black, white, pink or brown. The 

 spores are equally important ; their colour, form and size must be 

 observed with care in the discrimination of critical species. Some 

 spores are very large, as in Agavicus mucidns (found that afternoon) ; 

 whilst others, as in Poiyporus d^sius, are excessively small ; some are 

 round, others oval, some pip-shaped, some nodulose, others furnished 

 with spines like a hedgehog. Odour, too, is of great importance as an 

 empirical character, said Mr. Smith ; different fungi are furnished 

 with the most diverse smells, and many can be named at once by the 

 fragrant or foetid scent alone. Taste was of equal importance, some 



