RECIPES 303 



mushrooms, which she almost caught in mid-air in 

 her talons. Such was the strength of her clutch that 

 the fungus was scattered in fragments upon the 

 ground, when what was my surprise to observe the 

 bird proceed from one fragment to another in a most 

 ravenous manner, exhibiting all those tactics habitual 

 to the hawk with live prey — the lowering and out- 

 spreading of the wings and tail against the ground, 

 the raising of the neck feathers, and the same de- 

 fiant, defensive mien which she had so often shown 

 on previous occasions when a mouse or a squirrel 

 had been the object of her solicitude. Having eaten 

 the first fungus, I threw her another, which she de- 

 voured . with the same eagerness, and another, and 

 another, until she had taken five, and her crop was 

 as large as a pint cup ; after which she betook her- 

 self quietly to her roost on the rail near by, evidently 

 under the supposition that she had broken her fast 

 with a sumptuous meal of rabbit or squirrel flesh. 



The Agaricus ostreahis is known as the " vegetable 

 oyster " — its flavor in a stew quite closely simulating 

 the flavor of the bivalve ; another fun- 

 Fish, flesh, gus as the " beefsteak mushroom " — not 

 and fowl without good reason ; the Polyporus 

 sulphureus distinctly suggests the flesh 

 and flavor of chicken ; others, as we have seen, re- 

 semble kidneys and sweetbread; while the Agaricus 

 ulmarius of the elm would seem entitled to its popu- 

 lar name of "fish-mushroom," from the following inci- 

 dent related by Palmer : 



" I recently sent some elm - tree mushrooms to a 

 family where the youngest member is but twenty-one 



