tlbe pitgdms of tbe li)ear 157 



lichens, that they are harmless, for nian}^ are a viru- 

 lent poison ; others have a disgusting odor, and nearly 

 all are dangerous m their deca3^ On the other hand, 

 many of them are a useful, delicious food, and nearly 

 all are beautiful when first developed. Their variety 

 also is very fascinating. 



In a walk of less than two miles in a wet summer, 

 may be found twenty different kinds of fungi — some 

 no larger than a pea, some eight inches in diameter. 

 They may be round, oval, flat, cup-shaped, horn- 

 shaped, cushion-shaped, saucer-shaped ; they are 

 snow-white, gray, tan, yellow, lavender, ora.nge, dark 

 brown, pink, crimson, purple, and variously mottled ; 

 scaly, or smooth as with varnish. Placed on a large 

 platter among dark green mosses they will be, for 

 one day, a magnificent collection. 



One large, egg-shaped variety, growing in pairs, 

 is of a purple shade, very solid, and when broken 

 open seems filled with glittering matter, like iron 

 or steel filings. Another tan-colored, plum-shaped 

 fungus, firm and smooth, is of nearly a roj^al 

 purple within. 



September is a good month for the stud}^ of fungi, 

 especially after the early fall rains, when the woods 

 and pastures will be found well filled, not only with 

 brilliant, useless, or poisonous varieties, but with 

 delicious edible kinds. Popularly people call the 



