CRYPTOGAMIA FUNGI. 1015 



place, once for all, to admonifli the reader of 

 the general nature and dangerous qualities of 

 them ; which I cannot do better than in the 

 words of the great and ingenious Haller. 



" All Fungi are crude in their nature, of fpeedy 

 *' growth and fudden decay. They fpring up, 

 " arrive at maturity, and perifli in a few days, 

 *' moft of them diflblving away in a black 

 " corrupted liquor, of a fetid naufeous fmelL 



^ " They are the food of fnails, beetles, flies, 

 " maggots, and the Nidus where they depofic 

 " their young. 



" The Ruffians indeed devour almoft every fpe- 

 " cies, even thofe which other nations efteem 



; " the moft poifonous, fuch as the xAG ARICUS 

 " mufcarius, piperatus, &cc. but all of them 

 " are a doubtful and fufpicious food, and the 

 " mofl innocent have proved fometimes preju- 

 " dicial. 



^' By analyjts, it is found that feven parts of 

 " eight in their compofition arc watry. They 

 ^' yield, by fire, a yellow fpirit like hartfhorn, 

 " a yellow empyreumatic oil, and a dry, vola- 

 " tile, cryftalline fait j fo that their nature 

 " is evidently alkaline, extremely prone to cor^ 

 " ruption. 



" Their fibres are tough and very difficult to di- 



" geft, fwelling in the ftomach like a fponge ; 



T t t 4 " fo 



