OF BRITISH FUNGI. 39 



Scotland, but, on account of its bitterness, is not much 

 esteemed. It is a spring fungus, at which season large 

 baskets of them are exposed for sale at Vienna. The 

 pileus expands to nearly a plane surface, and is smooth 

 and clay-coloured. The straight tough stem is of the 

 same colour as the pileus, and the gills are loose and 

 whitish. In size it is always small, and in quality so 

 mediocre that one is led to wonder at its becoming a 

 marketable commodity anywhere (PL 6, fig. 1). 



We are not aware that the sub-genus Mycena, 

 amongst its forty British species contains one that can 

 be termed esculent. For the mycologist they possess 

 features of interest, but none for the cook. 



Of Omphalia our report must be to the same effect. 

 Indeed, the species are generally so small that they can 

 establish no claims to the honour of an experiment. 



The last sub-genus of the white-spored Agarics is 

 Pleurotus, or side-foot as some of the species have been 

 called. This name is probably derived from two Greek 

 words signifying side-bone or ribs. 



The species contained in this group are lovers of 

 wood, upon which they are generally found growing, 

 some on living trees, others on dead stumps or posts. 

 The stem is either inserted into the cap away from the 

 centre or in the margin, or it is absent altogether. 

 Some are not larger than the thumb-nail and solitary, 

 while others are large and grow in dense masses. Some 

 are occasionally subjected to culinary operations, but 

 none present very great attractions to the epicure. 



The trunks of elms often support a large and beau- 



