804 



THJ-: NATUUALIST. 



Towards the close of September I 

 found three specimens in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the village of Neatis- 

 head, in Norfolk, growing by the 

 roadside at the bottom of a hedge- 

 bank. It should be remembered 

 that this species of Boletus has 

 hitherto only found a place in our 

 Flora on the authority of Sibthorpe 

 (Fl. Oxon. 1055), who found it in 

 Magdalen College Walks during the 

 month of September. I am not 

 aware that it has been found in 

 England either before or since ; in- 

 deed, in "Berkeley's Outlines" it 

 is stated " not found since the time 

 of Sibthorpe." More recently I 

 placed it amongst " Doubtful or 

 extinct species " in my Indeo) Fun- 

 gorum. From the three specimens 

 which I collected I was enabled to 

 note the following particulars. The 

 pileus was at first globose, after- 

 wards convex, of a color so nearly 

 like that of the ordinary uncultiva- 

 ted forms of Agaricus campestrls that 

 at first I took them for robust young 

 specimens of the " mushroom." 

 The cuticle was to the touch like 

 the softest of French kid leather, 

 dull, with a tendency to darken in 

 color by age. The flesh was com- 

 pact, brittle, and of a very pure 

 white when broken, gradually, but 

 not so rapidly as in some other 

 species, becoming blue, at first cae- 

 rulean, deepening into full " cobalt ;" 

 at length leaving a carbonaceous 



stain where it had been of the 

 deepest blue. The stem in all the 

 specimens of a somewhat loose tex- 

 ture, and brittle, not in the least 

 fibrous, snapping readily, but hollow 

 in none. In all there was a diminu- 

 tion of diameter upwards and down- 

 wards so as to be truly ventricose. 

 Of the same color as the pileus in 

 the upper portion, but dark brown 

 at the base, melting into each other, 

 without any distinct line of separa- 

 tion. The tubes were perfectly free 

 from the stem, short, round, and of 

 a pallid primrose tint. The spores 

 were undoubtedly colorless, twice as 

 long as broad, and sometimes longer, 

 and narrowed towards each extrem- 

 ity. The specimens were found in 

 two localities about a quarter of a 

 mile apart. The soil was gravelly, 

 and in both instances the fungus 

 was growing amongst grass. The 

 above description will be found to 

 agree in the principal features with 

 that given by Bulliard, and I have 

 no doubt of their identity. — M. C. 

 Cooke. 



Lepidoptera. — I have the following 

 for exchange : — S. Tithonus, S. hy- 

 peranthiis, P. linea, C. diluta, B. 

 perla, C. cuhicularis, T. fimbria, N. 

 glareosa, G. DaJilii, A. litura, M. Pisi, 

 A. myrtili, M. Belgiaria, A. clii, and 

 L. multisttigaria.' — William Shaw, 

 No. 16, Back Park-street, Newroad 

 End, Leeds. 



