152 BRITISH EDIBLE FUNGI. 



outside with deep, angular, hexagonal, or elongated 

 pits or hollows, so as to present a kind of honey- 

 combed appearance. In colour mostly tawny or 

 smoky brown. The base of the cap in some of the 

 species is grown to the stem ; in others it is free from 

 the stem half way up. The inside of the cap is 

 hollow and continuous with the hollow of the stem. 

 The latter is mostly robust, either about as long as 

 the height of the cap, or it may be several times 

 longer, mostly even, but very hollow, so that nowhere 

 is the flesh thicker than about the eighth of an inch. 



The whole outside of the cap is a spore bearing 

 surface, but the spores are not naked as in agarics 

 or boleti, but usually eight spores are produced in 

 a row within a long, thin, cylindrical membrane, called 

 a spore-sac or ascus. These sac?, or asci, are closely 

 packed side by side, and immersed in the flesh of the 

 cap. When the spores are ripe the sac opens at the 

 apex and the spores escape. The same kind of spore 

 system is also found in the helvellas, hereafter 

 alluded to. The whole substance of these fungi is 

 rather dry, but fragile, and not in any degree fibrous 

 or tough. They have an odour resembling that of 

 mushrooms, and a sweet, pleasant taste. As far as 

 we are aware, all the known species are edible. 



Morels are commonly exposed for sale about the 

 month of June in the Parisian markets ; but they are 

 rarely exhibited, even in Covent Garden, in this 

 country, although the dried fungus can generally be 



