VOL. VII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 33 



Description of an Odd Kind of Mushroom, yidding a Milky Juice, much hotter on 

 the Tongue than Pepper, &c. Observed by Mr. Lister, N° 89, p. 3 1 16. 



The 18th of August last, passing through Marton woods, under Pinno-moor 

 in Craven, I found an immense number of mushrooms ; some withered, and 

 others new sprung and flourishing. They were of a large size, something 

 , larger than the ordinary red-gilled eatable mushroom or champignon, and very 

 much of their shape, that is, with a perfectly round cap or stool, thick in flesh, 

 and with open gills underneath ; having a thick, fleshy, solid, and round foot- 

 stalk, of about six fingers breadth high above ground, and mostly as thick as 

 my thumb. On cutting any part of this mushroom, it bleeds exceeding freely a 

 milk white juice, which tastes much hotter on the tongue than pepper: it is 

 not clammy to the touch; the air does not much discolour it, nor the blade of 

 a knife, as is usual with most vegetable juices: it became in the glass vial, I 

 drew it into, suddenly concrete and stiffs, and did in some days dry into a firm 

 cake: it then also, when well dried, retained its fierce biting taste and white 

 colour. Further, I observed these mushrooms to abound with fly-maggots. 

 Also the youngest and tenderest of them, that is, such as were most juicy, were 

 ver)^ much eaten by the grey meadow naked snail, lodging themselves within 

 the sides of the plant. * 



In another letter of Dec. 17, the same person says : — Mr. Ray returned me 

 this Answer to my letter about the biting Mushroom : " At my return to 

 Middleton I found a letter from you, containing the description of a mushroom 

 discovered by you in Marton woods under Pinno-moor. I doubt not but it is 

 that described in Job. Bauhin, 1. 40, c. 6, under the title of Fungus piperatus 

 albus, lacteo succo turgens. Only he says, that it exceeds the champignon in 

 size ; whereas you write, that there are few of them much larger than that: he 

 also says, that they are not so thick as that. In all other points the descrip- 

 tions agree exactly. For the colour, that it is white, gills and all ; for the place, 

 that it grows in woods; and for the taste, that it is hotter than pepper. Several 

 particulars mentioned by you, are not observed or not mentioned by him. I 

 cannot say, that I have as yet met with this mushroom. 



* The mushroom here described is the Agaricus piperatus. A. stipitatus, pileo planiusculo lactes- 

 cente, margine deflexo, lamellis incarnato-pallidis. ifn. *p. ;j/. ;?, l541. It occurs in several of the 

 Northern parts of England, in Scotland, and probably in most parts of Europe. 



VOL. II. 



