OF BRITISH FUNGI. 65 



they grow without a hand to gather them. There 

 is very little difficulty in recognizing the champignon, 

 which is found growing in rings, and the pileus at 

 first is of a brownish ochre, becoming paler as it 

 grows older, until it fades into a rich cream-colour. 

 Another species is occasionally found mixed with it, 

 which might perhaps by carelessness be mistaken for 

 it, but not if the two are compared. The taste of 

 Marasmius urens, the latter species, is acrid, and the 

 gills yellowish or brownish, and narrower than in the 

 true champignon : the stem of both is alike solid, but 

 in the spurious kind clothed with a white down at the 

 base, whilst in the edible kind it is quite naked. A 

 third allied species (Marasmius peronatus) is some 

 times found in woods, but this is generally larger, and 

 has the' base of the stem clothed with yellow stiff hairs 

 or bristles. (PL 14, lower figure.) As we should not 

 search for the true champignon in 1 woods, there is 

 less fear of mistaking this species. There is scarcely 

 a more delicious fungus than the champignon, and the 

 chance of confounding other species with it is more 

 imaginary than real. The evidence of the Rev. M. J. 

 Berkeley is strongly in its favour : " When of a good 

 size and quickly grown, it is perhaps the best of all 

 fungi for the table, whether carefully fried or stewed 

 with an admixture of finely-minced herbs and a minute 

 portion of garlic. It is at the same time tender and 

 easy of digestion, and when once its use is known and 

 its characters ascertained, no species may be used with 

 less fear. It is so common in some districts that bushels 



