RAY. 



149 



turalists hold with one another, we may present 

 the following letter to Mr Ray : — 



" Sir, — August 18, I passed through Marton 

 Woods, under Pimco-Moore, in Craven. In these 

 woods I then found very great plenty of Mushromes, 

 and many of them then withered, and coal-black ; 

 but others new sprung and flourishing. They are 

 some of them of a large size, and yet few much bigger 

 than the Champignon or ordinary red-gilled eat- 

 able Mushrome, and very much of the shape of 

 that ; that is an exactly round cap, or crown, which 

 is thick in flesh, and open deep gills underneath ; a 

 fleshy, and not hollow, round foot-stalk, of about 

 six fingers breadth above ground, and ordinarily as 

 thick as my thumb. The foot-stalk, gills, and cap, 

 all of a milk-white colour. If you cut any part 

 of this mushrome, it will 6/^e<^ exceeding freely and 

 plentifully a pure white juice. Concerning which, 

 note, 



'' 1. That the youngest did drop much more 

 plentifully and freely than those that were at their 

 full growth and expansion. That the dried and 

 withered ones had no signs of milk in them that I 

 then discern'd. 



'' 2. That this milk tastes and smells like pepper, 

 and is much hotter upon the tongue. 



" 3. That it is not clammy or roapy to the touch. 



" 4. That although I used the same knife to cut 

 a hundred of them, yet I could not perceive all that 

 time, that the milk changed colour (as is usual with 

 most vegetable milks) upon the knife blade. 



" 5. That it became, in the glass viol I drew it 

 into, suddenly concrete and stiff, and in some days 



