14 



Edible and Poisonous Fungi. 



I have often been asked if it is possible to distinguish 

 the poisonous from the non-poisonous or eatable Fungi, 

 and I am compelled after much reflection, to answer that it 

 is impossible to do so except by personal experience. No hard 

 and fast rule can be laid down. It cannot be said of any 

 genus or alliance that all its members are wholesome or 

 the reverse. On the contrary a reference to the two sheets 

 of illustrations,* which I have the honour to present for the 

 acceptance of the Society, will shew that one species may 

 be a wholesome and even delicious article of food, while its 

 next door neighbour of the same genus contains a most 

 dangerous poison — nay, the nature of the noxious principle 

 varies continually — in one case it is a simple narcotic, in 

 another a narcotic irritant, that is to say if the poison does 

 not kill by narcotising it goes on to irritate the organs and 

 disturb or destroy their functions ; . while a third kind is 

 simply irritant, each requiring a totally different medical 

 treatment. It seems unfortunate that this injurious property 

 should be attached to substances which are in themselves 

 so wholesome and nutritious. 



The fleshy kinds of Fungi abound in Albumenoids, most 

 valuable for nutrition, their nutritive value being indicated 

 by the percentage of Nitrogen which they contain. This 

 percentage is very high in Agarics, much higher than 

 in any other class of vegetable food. Many of these 

 Fungi, perhaps 200 kinds, are esculent, although we 

 cannot recommend more than 40 or 50 as being in all 

 respects desirable. On' the other hand we find mixed 

 up with these, apparently indiscriminately, some 50 species, 

 the juices of which are known to possess properties more or 

 less injurious to the human constitution, and as I said these 

 injurious kinds can only be distinguished by experience. 



* The sheets to which the President constantly referred, were prepared 

 by Mr. Worthington Smith, and contained very accurately drawn and 

 coloured representations of all the desirable Fungi, and also of those 

 known to be most injurious. 



