in Greek and Latin Authors. 31 



while the assertion that certain trees produce them is probably 

 a mere popular notion of his time. Lenz gives uovolo malejico 

 as one of the modern Italian names of A. muscarius. The 

 suilli will be discussed by and by. Pliny distinguishes 

 between boleti and fungi : — " The nature of fungi is more 

 viscid than that of boleti ; there are many kinds, and they 

 originate only from the slimy moisture of trees. The safest 

 are those which have a red skin, but of a darker hue than 

 occurs in boleti; the next best are the white kind, with 

 head-stems remarkable for their resemblance to the conical 

 caps of the Flamens (' apice Flaminis ') ; and thirdly there is 

 the kind called suilli, very convenient for poisoning. Lately 

 they have killed whole families and all the guests at a ban- 

 quet, as, for instance, Anneus Serenus, the prefect of Nero's 

 guard, together with the tribunes and centurions. What so 

 great pleasure can there be in doubtful food? Some persons 

 have discriminated the kinds of fungi from the kinds of trees 

 on which they grow, saying that the good kinds are found on 

 the fig, the birch, and gummiferous trees, we that the noxious 

 kinds grow on the beech, oak (robur), or cypress as aforesaid. 

 " But who will give security when these things are exposed 

 for sale in the markets? All the poisonous fungi have a 

 livid colour, while, on the other hand, a reason for suspecting 

 poison will be absent from those kinds which grow on trees 

 which resemble the fig. We have already spoken of remedies 

 against fungus-poisoning ; we will add a few more remarks, 

 for even in these products there are medicinal properties. 

 Glaucias thinks that boleti are good for the stomach ; suilli 

 are dried and hung up, being transfixed with a rush, as in 

 those which come from Bithynia. These are good as a 

 remedy in fluxes from the bowels, which are called rheuma- 

 tismi, and for fleshy excrescences of the anus, which they 

 diminish and in time remove ; they remove freckles (' lenti- 

 gines ') and blemishes on women's faces ; a healing lotion also 

 is made of them, as of lead, for sore eyes ; soaked in water 

 they are applied as a salve to foul ulcers and eruptions of the 

 head and to bites inflicted by dogs. 



" I will now make some general observations on the cooking 

 of fungi, because this is the only food which dainty volup- 

 tuaries themselves prepare with their own hands, and thus, 

 as it were, by anticipation feed on them, using amber knives 

 and silver service. Those kinds which remain hard after 

 cooking are injurious, while those which admit of being 

 thoroughly well cooked when eaten with saltpetre are harmless; 

 they are rendered more safe still if they are cooked with meat 

 (' cum carne cocti ') or with pear-stalks ; indeed it is good to 



