i-'i N<;M;U-:S 



39 



test, for, although most forms of gaudy exterior or 

 ivadily changeable internal colour may he HUH- 



peeled, ;ii|.| nil lelid ones of colir.-e avoided, some 



poi-onmis ones are quite incoDBpicuoUfl and in- 



offensive. Again, some which are iiungcnl and 

 acrid while raw become bland anil whole ..m,- 

 svlien cooked ; maceration ill vinegar or hrino pro- 

 duces H similar ell'ect. 



The importance ,,i fungi as an article of diet is 

 naturally minimise.) in Britain through the pre- 

 vailing ignorance and the conse<|u<'iit excessive dis- 

 tru-t ; in France, and especially in Italy, they are 

 of much greater importance. The culture of the 

 Mushroom lias, however, of late years become 

 increasingly frequent, while on the Continent 

 that of a numlier of oilier species has long been 

 practised with more or less success, as notably of 

 icus, Boletus, &c., and more recently of the 

 trullle. The leading edible fungi have already 

 been noted, and are also in most cases the subject 

 of separate articles; it may suffice therefore here 

 to bring together the most important. Besides 

 the Mushroom, its immediate congeners, and its 

 closer allies, such as the Chantrelle (Cuntkarellus 

 film riiis), we have among the Hymenomycetes a 

 number of species of Boletus and of Polyporus, also 

 h'istiiliiui In' /ml tea, and several species of Lactarius, 

 Hydnum, and Clavaria, with Mamsmiiis oreades. 

 Among ( Josteromycetes, the putt'- balls ( Lycoperdon, 

 Bo vista), in the young state. Of Ascomycetes, the 

 Morel, Helvetia, with Verpa, some of Pezi/a, &c., 

 and, of course, above all others, the Truffle. Cyttaria 

 Durn-iiiii, which grows on beeches in Tierra del 

 Fucgo, forms an ini]>ortant article of native diet. 



Poisono ut Effects and / 'n < i tnte.n t. Noxious species 

 may produce sometimes irritant, sometimes narcotic 

 effects. The effects appear soon after the meal, 

 and may be manifested by giddiness, dimness of 

 sight, and debility. The person may seem intoxi- 

 cated, and there may be singular illusions of sense, 

 while even spasms and convulsions may appear in 

 the most serious cases. In most cases, however, 

 recovery takes place, especially if vomiting be early 

 induced. Hence emetics should be administered 

 as promptly as possible, and castor-oil also given 

 freely. 



For general accounts of fungi, see the leading text- 

 books of botany, notably Goebel's Outline* of Classification 

 (Oxford, 1887), and those of Van Tieghein and Luerssen ; 

 or, very conveniently, Bennett and Murray's Orvptcaamic 

 Botany (Loud. 1889). The i-entral work is De Bary's 

 f'tm />. Morpliol. and Biol. of Fuiuji, <fcc. (Eng. trans. Ox- 

 ford, 1887). Systematic information must be sought in 

 works such as Saccardo's >V/ov< Fiinyorum, and the 

 various eryptogamio floras, such as M. C. Cooke's Hand- 

 book of Jiritinh Fun;/i ( 2d ed. 18H7), his Ittustrationx of 

 British Fnni/n I'd ed. i vols. IKS 4 8S ), or Stevenson's Myco- 

 /ni/iii Sftii-a and ffymenomyoetct Britunnici. Leunis, 

 unit der PjUinzeiikiinde, vol. iii., is also of service. For 

 esculent fungi, see Badlum, h'sculriit Fiunjngen of England 

 (lst;;{) ; W. G. .Smith, Mit<liroom.i and Toadstools (1879). 



I'llliiiiblrs are movable effects which perish by 

 being used, and which are estimated by weight, 

 number, and measure, such as corn, wine, money. 

 Things are fungible when their place can be 

 adequately supplied by other individuals of the 

 same class, as where a sum of money is repaid 

 by means of other coins than those in wliicfi it 

 w,-us received. Thus, jewels, paintings, and works 

 of art are not fungibles, because their value differs 

 in each individual of the species without posseasing 

 any common standard. 



Fungus (Lat. , ' a mushroom ') is a term applied 

 in pathology and surgery to exuberant granula- 

 tions or ulcerating tumour-growths when they 

 project somewhat in the form of a mushroom above 

 the surface of the skin or mucous membrane where 

 they are situated. The conditions giving rise to 



i hi- appearance occur especially in connection with 

 the te-tide and the brain. Tumours in which it 

 occurs are frequently cancerouH. The name aUo 

 occur- in pathology in UH true botanical st'iute; 

 for Actinomvcosi*, FavuH, Ringworm (q.v.), &c. 

 are produced by parasitic fungi. 



FlllllfllS Jl'lil<'ll-i-. i V\MM>i:ir.M. 



Finikin, so ca lied after a Prussian b-.tani-t and 

 herbalist (1771-1H39), and KometimcH known in 

 English as Plantain- lilies, a genus of Liliacea- allied 

 to the day-lilies ( Hemerocallis). Since their in- 

 troduction from China in 1790, the five or six 

 8j>ecies have been largely and increasingly cul- 

 tivated, not only in greenhouses, but in slim (dories 

 and l.ordcr> or rockwork, on account of the remark- 

 able beam v of their masses of large broadly ovate 

 or cordate, often variegated leaves. They are 

 easily propagated by division of the tuberous crown, 

 and thrive best in deep soil well manured. 



Funny Bone is really the ulnar nerve, which 

 is in most, persons so little protected where it 

 passes behind the internal condyle (the projection 

 of the lower end of the humerus at the inner side ) 

 to the forearm, that it is often affected by blows 

 on that part. The tingling sensation which is then 

 felt to snoot down the forearm to the fingers has 

 given rise to the name. 



Fur. See FURS. 



Fur is the term applied to the incrustation 

 which is formed in the interior of vessels (tea- 

 kettles, boilers of steam-engines, &c. ) when calca- 

 reous water has been for a considerable time boiled 

 in them. Many spring waters contain carlx>nate of 

 lime held in solution by carbonic acid. When this 

 water is boiled, the acid is expelled and the car- 

 bonate is deposited, often in association with a 

 little sulphate, forming a lining more or less coher- 

 ent upon the sides of the vessel. In steam-boilers 

 this may be prevented by the addition of a small 

 quantity of sal-ammoniac (ammonium chloride) to 

 the water ; carbonate of ammonia is formed and 

 volatilised, while chloride of calcium remains in 

 solution. This chloride, however, attacks the iron 

 more or less according to its quantity and the 

 other saline constituents of the water ; therefore 

 many substitutes are offered, some patented, some 

 sold as secret preparations. The carcass of a pig 

 that has died of disease has been found effectual. 

 It appears to act by greasing the particles of 

 carbonate of lime as they precipitate, and thus 

 forming a loose and easily removable powder instead 

 of a coherent deposit. Any other refuse fatty 

 matter may be used for this purpose. The writer 

 strongly recommends this simple mode of treat- 

 ment, combined with frequent cleansing. 



Flirfliraillide is closely related to FuRFl'JJlNE 

 and FURFUROL, and all three substances may be 

 prepared from wood. When this is heated with 

 water under pressure for some time, and the re- 

 sulting liquor distilled, furfurol, C S H 4 O.,, an aromatic 

 oil, with an odour resembling cinnamon and bitter 

 almonds, is obtained. By treatment with ammonia 

 this is converted into furfuramide, Ci 5 H,.,N..O s , a 

 neutral crystalline body. By boiling this again 

 with a solution of potash, furfurine, an alkaline 

 base having the same composition as, and isomeric 

 with, furfuramide is produced. These substances 

 are of little industrial importance. 



Furies. See EUMENIDES. 

 Furlong (i.e. a furrow long), a measure of 

 length, the eighth part of a mile or 220 yards. 



Furlough, a military term signifying tem- 

 porary leave of absence from service. Non-com- 

 mi.-sioned officers and private soldiers on furlough 

 must be provided with a pass, or they are liable to 

 be seized and dealt with as deserters. 



