THE MOSSES, FUNGI, AND LICHENS. 315 



you examine the underside of these, you will tind it 

 covered with minute pores, resembling a sponge. 

 This species (Polyporus) is not a had article of food, 

 if properly cooked ; hut to find out how to do this 

 you must study such hooks as Dr. Badham's 'Fungi/ 

 Dr. M. C. Cooke's ' British Fungi,' and the coloured 

 charts of Mr. Worthington Smith, showing forth at 

 n, glance the edible and poisonous species. The 

 explanatory notes belonging to these charts are 

 most useful, not only as showing how the edible 

 species are to be cooked, but also as setting forth a 

 practical experience in the determination of what 

 kinds of fungi are poisonous and which are not, which 

 entitles Mr. Smyth to a foremost place among bold 

 investigators. 



We have several hundred species of those kinds of 

 Fungus popularly known as " Toadstools." We 

 English as a rule only profess to eat one kind, 

 which we dignify by the name of " Mushroom." 

 Unfortunately for our consistency, in the course of 

 the year we really eat three or four other species, 

 and that under the delusion that we are all the 

 while sticking to our true mushrooms ! In the 

 brief space here allotted we cannot be expected to 

 enter fully into the delineation of the several species, 

 nor is it desirable, seeing it has already been done 

 by our best fungologists. The young student, how- 

 ever, may find amusement as well as instruction in 

 the examination of ordinary species of what he 

 considers " toadstools." Those bearing gills are 



