250 



gramme (less than 2d. per lb.), but they are not abundant in Italy, for there are 

 few meadows. Vittadini says—" They are common round Milan, but never seen 

 in the Milan or Pavia market, though allowed to be sold," and then he adds the 

 strange sentence — " They are found under elms, planes, on gravel, or in the little 

 ditches through which the rain runs away," and further, he quotes the well- 

 known passage in Horace — 



"Pratensibus optima fungis natura est," 



assuming — I do not see why — that it refers to mushrooms. 



7. Coprinus comatus, "largely eaten," according to Badham, "about Lucca," 

 and, 



8. Lactarius piperatus, described by him with delightful vagueness, as 

 "extensively used on the Continent," are not mentioned by Vattadini, nor 

 have they been seen by me. But 



9. Lactarius dcliciosus, which Badham had not noticed abroad, sometimes is 

 sold. Near Spezia, on the 15th October, there were plenty, and I have met with it not 

 only by the sea, but on the 19th August, growing under spruce iirs on Mont Blanc. 



10. Amongst the fungi in the markets I have often looked for Russula 

 heterophylla, because Vittadini says — "The villagers round Milan and Pavia 

 gather indiscriminately every sort of Russula, and he had never heard of an 

 accident from their use," but hitherto, like Badham, I have not found it. 



11. In Mantua, on one occasion, I saw an immense basket of Cantharellus 

 cibarius sold to the hotel for 1 franc 50 centimes (14d). It is called Gallinaccio 

 (Turkey cock), and they are very plentiful in the spruce forests of the Alps. 



12. The fungus, however, which is by far the most commonly sold in Italy 

 is Boletus eduKs. It goes by the name of Porcino (Piggy) or Ferre. In the 

 market of Bergamo it was 40c. per lb., and was selling with large frogs and small 

 tench. At Brescia it was 10c. dearer, and at Verona 40c., the stall there being 

 set out with robins and thrushes, for game. In Florence and at Parma there was 

 no other fungus. The usual method of cooking is frying with bread crumbs ; and 

 it may be bought dried in almost any grocer's. Vittadini declares that occasionally 

 other boleti are mixed with it, but I cannot say I ever saw another species in the 

 heaps I have examined. I may add that throughout France this boletus, known 

 by the name of Cepe or Ceps, is considered a delicacy by all classes. 



13. Boletus scaber is almost as common in the markets as Edulis, but not in 

 the same quantity, and I am surprised that Badham appears never to have seen 

 it there ; they call it Porcinello (little piggy-wiggy) or Albarello. 



15. Both Polyporus frondosut (or intybaceus) 



16. And Hydnum repandum are said to be sold in Italy, but neither Badham 

 nor I have come across them. 



16. Clavaria coralloidcs, however, I saw at Bologna on September 29th, 

 priced at 40c. per lb. On September 21st of the present year, 1884, a specimen of 

 this last, vulgarly called Fungo barbino (little beard fungus), was found near 

 Bellano, Lake of Como, weighing no less than 62 lb. ; it may, however, have been 

 Hydnum Erinaceum. 



