50 BRITISH FUNGI 



pleasant taste and aroma they possess. This number is scattered 

 throughout various faraihes of fungi, and all do not by any means 

 possess gills, or conform to the mushroom type of structure. At 

 this point, I again rej^eat my previous warning, do not risk anything 

 in the way of eating fungi until you are quite certain as to their 

 identity. They are not worth the risk. At one time it was stated, 

 based on chemical analysis, that fungi contained more nitrogenous 

 material than beef, and, consequently, were more nutritious. 

 Chemical analysis, as conducted to-day, does not disprove the older 

 statement as to the amount of nitrogenous material present in the 

 tissues of fungi considered edible, but it has pointed out that the 



Boletus scahcr, an edible fungus, tlial lias been partly eaten 

 by a squirrel. 



amount of nitrogenous material present that can be assimilated, or 

 used as food, is very small indeed, and that fungi practically contain 

 no more flesh-forming material than a cabbage does, which is 

 about the smallest amount that can be obtained from anything we 

 eat. Notwithstanding this, fungi have their special flavours, often 

 combined with a very pleasant aroma, and in this way serve a 

 purpose ; because it must be remembered that we do not gain actual 

 flesh and blood from everything we eat, as examples, salt, mustard, 

 spices, etc., but these substances, due to custom, render more 

 palatable those kinds of food essentially necessary to our well- 

 being, and also, in some instances, aid digestion and the assimilation 

 of the nutritious portion of the food we eat. 



The following table, showing the relative values of beef and the 



