56 



proposition, a German botanist of celebrity having recently 



attempted to prove that the species constituting that order are of 



an animal nature, taking his stand on certain phenomena exhibited 



in the mode of their development from the spores, at which time 



they present the motions and appearance of Amceboe ; but as they 



soon lose this chai'acter, and assume that of other undoubted 



fungi, it would seem that there is little reliance to be placed on 



his distinction. Fungi are for the most part composed of cells, or 



cellular tissue, in some cases a simple cell constitutes the whole 



plant, in others it is built up of an innumerable multitude of cells 



of various shapes and sizes, while in a few instances spiral vessels 



occur. The vegetative pail, or mycelium, in the higher orders is 



subordinate to the reproductive ; that of an Agaric, for instance, 



is a mere mass of threads, the reproductive pai*t, or mushroom, 



presenting a very varied and complicated structure. It was long 



supposed that two forms of fi-uit only occurred in these plants, 



spores in one case being developed in closed sacs, or asci, in the 



other growing naked on sporophores ; but M. Tulasue has lately 



shown that many Fungi possess three, if not more, kinds of 



reproductive bodies pertaining to the same species. Fungi combine 



a number of chemical principles in their substance ; M. Boudier, 



in a treatise lately published, gives a list of 20, or more, in 



certain Agarics, water always constituting a large percentage. 



The presence of starch was supposed to distinguish lichens from 



fungi, but Mr. Currey found it in a very curious truffle to which 



he gave the name of Amylocarpus. And Professor Nylander has 



discovered it in certain species of Pezizte, and makes use of it as a 



sectional distinction, employing iodine to indicate its presence. The 



poisonous principle occurring in some fungi appears to vary much 



in character ; maceration in salt, or vinegar and water, commonly 



expels the noxious qualities. After showing the failure of all 



general characters to indicate the wholesomeness, or poisonous 



nature, of Agarics, M. Boudier gives some rules to guide persons in 



selecting wholesome kinds too long to be here quoted, and concludes 



by advising those who are driven by necessity to make use of fungi 



as food never to eat any doubtful kinds without steeping them for 



at least 20 minutes in vinegar and water, and then to wash and 



