THE BEECH. 157 



their stalks, and hanging them in an airy place. In 

 England they are comparatively rare ; but Mr. Berkeley 

 states that he has known them to be so abundant in Kent 

 as to be used for making a sort of catsup. The Truffle, 

 which is also highly prized in cookery, is very difficult to 

 find, being at all stages of its growth buried beneath the 

 ground. It is black and warty; white within, and 

 marbled with dark veins. " It possesses a strong but 

 agreeable smell, and is generally found by dogs and 

 pigs trained to search for it ; but, in those countries where 

 Truffles abound, in the month of October (which is their 



I KUfFLES. 



season for ripening) all the inhabitants repair to the 

 woods, slightly stirring, or rather scratching the ground, 

 in those places which experience points out to them as 

 the most likely to contain the tubers. The high price of, 

 and constant demand for Truffles, both in France and 

 other countries, renders this a very lucrative employment : 

 and experienced hunters are rarely deceived in the places 

 where they make their search."^ Berkeley {Eng. Flora, 

 vol. V. part ii. p. 228) quotes an instance of a poor 

 crippled boy who could detect Truffles with a certainty 



Loudon's Arboretum Britannicum. 



