THE MYSTERIOUS FUNGUS 271 



poisonous look, the fact that when bruised they 

 develop a blue stain, and, if we should be so 

 curious as to taste one, by their fiery flavour. 



The sampling of fungi is a perilous quest. 

 It seems to be fairly established that even the 

 true ' mushroom ' has poisoned people. Probably 

 when the spores are ripe the fungus is more 

 poisonous, and the reproductive principle defies 

 the action of the frying-pan. On the other hand, 

 it is possible and indeed seems probable that even 

 the poisonous species would become harmless 

 when quite properly cooked, just as arrowroot 

 and the wild arum are very well known to do. 

 In Siberia they use the exceedingly poisonous 

 fly agaric as the basis of an alcoholic drink, first 

 drying the fungus, and afterwards steeping it in 

 whortleberry juice. 



After all, what do we gain in return for the 

 risk, when we try to add a new fungus to the bill 

 of fare ? It does not seem likely that these sub- 

 terranean growths, owing no allegiance to the sun, 

 possessing no chlorophyl, the essential means of 

 converting sweet fresh air into food, can give us 

 anything really nourishing or wholesome. The 

 decadents of Rome said, ' Keep your corn, O 

 Libya, unyoke your oxen, provided only you 

 send us mushrooms.' Undoubtedly, however, the 

 dead leaves of autumn were better converted into 

 wheat than into the best mushroom that ever 

 grew. 



The country people commonly call those fungi 



