WHEN PRUDENT. 35 



Berkeley, the discrepancy was so evident that we 

 thought it prudent to give our stomach the benefit of 

 the doubt. Had we been more enterprising, it might 

 have been a case of death in the pot, chronicled in the 

 newspapers as a melancholy instance of over-confidence 

 in a Hussey. 



It must then be acknowledged that we have here an 

 instance of the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties. 

 With Berkeley or Badham as our "guide, philosopher, and 

 friend," we might gain such speedy knowledge of the 

 good and evil that are in funguses, as not to fear feast- 

 ing on those recommended. But with only printed direc- 

 tions, however explicit, and pictorial illustrations, how- 

 ever faithful, we think our prudence praiseworthy in 

 hitherto confining our gastronomical acquaintance with 

 fungi to three varieties of mushroom and two of puff- 

 balls. 



If some friend, practically a mycophagist, have the 

 kindness to put into our hands the varieties of fungi 

 which he knows to be wholesome, or if he eat of them 

 before us in order to remove our scruples, it may be all 

 right to " dine with what appetite we may" on what 

 generally excites fear and loathing. It is really not 

 safe to follow one's nose, or believe one's eyes, as the 

 saying is. All noses are not equally furnished with 

 olfactories, it would appear, and not a few are in some 

 strange fashion abnormal. We know a lady who thinks 

 candle-snuff a delicious odour ! And as to following 

 optical appearances in deciding on the edibility of a 

 fungus, who does not know that many of us are "short- 

 sighted," and that a considerable percentage of human 

 eyes are afflicted with colour-blindness ? We may be 

 told that Patagonian savages and Russian boors thrive 

 on funguses of which we never venture to taste. Very 

 true, we admit ; but then the savage does not wear 

 spectacles, and has "senses exercised by reason of use" 

 in a way unknown to the civilised savant, whose arti- 

 ficial life does not require such absolute dependence on 



