JUNE. 103 



rest in this month ; the fruits have mostly disappeared, 

 and the seeds are now committed to the soil to soften, 

 swell, and get ready for their visible germination in the 

 coming summer. But many of the succulent-fruited plants 

 still carry their fruits, and this is the time to see them. 



In mild seasons, following warm summers, I have 

 occasionally found a few early flowers of fuchsia and 

 kowhai in the month of June ; but as a rule there are 

 scarcely any flowers to be met with. On the other hand, 

 non-flowering plants can be readily studied during the 

 winter months. Ferns and mosses are in fine sporing 

 condition, and many of the liverworts throw up their 

 capsules on slender white stalks, which open at the top 

 like miniature crosses. But June is pre-eminently the 

 month in which to look for curious fungi, many of which 

 are very beautiful and interesting. One of the commonest 

 is a large Boletus,* a big brown toadstool, which frequently 

 occurs under pine trees, and is, perhaps, an introduced 

 species. It matures throughout the autumn and winter 

 months, but seems to be more abundant during June than 

 at any other time, to judge by entries in my note-books. 

 As it becomes fully mature its upper skin acquires a slimy 

 appearance, while its stalk and underside turn yellow. It 

 is not an Agaric like a mushroom, which has its spore- 

 organs borne on plates or "gills," but the whole under- 

 side of its umbrella is made up of very numerous fine 

 tubes, on the walls of which the spores are developed. 

 They are probably set free by the liquifying of the tissues 

 when they get washed away by the winter rains. This 

 Boletus is edible as indeed many toadstools are and 

 when properly cooked is not bad eating. If firm young 

 specimens are taken, the thin upper skin peeled off, and 

 the lower yellowish tube - bearing portion removed, the 

 remainder is found to be white like a firm mushroom, 

 having much the same smell, though not so good a flavour 

 when cooked. 



Another edible fungus to be found in June is named 

 Clathrus cibariits. I am not responsible for such names, 

 * Probably the introduced Boletus edtilis. 



