178 BRITISH EDIBLE FUNGI. 



spontaneously on the bark, and in about two years 

 has grown all over it. After two years the poles 

 become quite rotten and no more mu-esh is pro- 

 duced. 



The original source of the Pacific Jew's ear was 

 the small islands of the Pacific and New Zealand, but 

 it is to be found in Australia, New Guinea, and many 

 other places. The seat of the trade is New Zealand, 

 for which the only market is China. It is largely 

 used by the Chinese in soups with farinaceous seeds, 

 and also as a medicine, being highly esteemed. The 

 Chinese have long been in the habit of using another 

 species of this same genus that is indigenous in North 

 China, and also in importing what has been called 

 another species, but really appears to be the 

 same, from other Isles of the Pacific, so that the use 

 of this kind of fungus as an article of food is not new 

 to them. 



At first, and for a considerable time, the New 

 Zealand fungus was exported only in small quantities. 

 The demand rapidly increasing, and the article 

 plentiful, and obtained at little cost, save the labour 

 of gathering and drying it, its export rapidly 

 increased. 



The price paid to collectors for it was originally 

 small, only one penny per pound, at which figure it 

 remained for some time. It became nominally 

 two pence half penny in some places, which sum is 

 often paid in barter. It is said to be sold in China at 



