388 Wild Life in Wales 



Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria, with its vermilion cap dotted 

 with white, were conspicuous objects in many places ; as 

 were likewise Lactarius subdulcis, Agaricus squarrosus. Boletus 

 chrysenteron, and many others of the tubular-gilled species, 

 some of which, in spite of their somewhat uninviting 

 appearance, are, like many of their allies, good to eat. 

 Giant " Puff-balls " were rather common in some of the hay- 

 fields, but the soil is hardly rich enough to produce many 

 mushrooms. In many of the wooded gorges, any trees that 

 had passed their prime were attacked by large colonies of 

 the leathery Polyporus versicolor, and its relatives, including 

 that known as the " Dryad's saddle " (P. squamosus) ; and 

 the Honey Agaric sprang in contorted groups from the 

 roots of oak and pine, both decayed and otherwise. Most 

 Fungi appear to wait till decay has set in before they take 

 possession of a tree, and then only hasten its dissolution ; 

 but not a few of them, including some of the agarics 

 amongst the number, attack healthy timber quite readily, 

 and are the cause of the death of their host, rather than 

 merely visible evidence that decline has already set in. 

 From the observations of Lord Avebury, it would appear, 

 upon the other hand, that Fungi are not always inimical to 

 their host. Writing of " Woods and Fields," he says : 



" Another very remarkable case which has recently been 

 observed is the relation existing between some of our forest 

 trees and certain Fungi, the species of which have not 

 yet been clearly ascertained. The root tips of the trees are, 

 as it were, enclosed in a thin sheet of closely woven mycelium. 

 It was at first supposed that the fungus was attacking the 

 roots of the tree, but it is now considered that the tree and the 

 fungus mutually benefit one another. The fungus collects 

 nutriment from the soil, which passes into the tree and up 

 to the leaves, where it is elaborated into sap, the greater 

 part being utilised by the tree, but a portion reabsorbed by 

 the fungus. There is reason to think that, in some cases 

 at any rate, the mycelium is that of the Truffle." * 



Freaks amongst Fungi do not appear to be very common, 

 and the annexed photograph, taken near the village, in 

 1 The Beauties of Nature, 1897, p. 178. 



