ABOUT POISONOUS FUNGI. 209 



the flesh of which turns blue when cut or wounded. 

 Some of the most virulent turn deep blue when cut, 

 but one or two harmless species turn blue likewise. 

 Again, Boletus felleus has the repute of a poisonous 

 species, but it does not turn blue when cut. Another 

 bubble is burst, and so every attempt to give general 

 instructions for the discrimination of poisonous and 

 edible species ends in a failure when put to the test. 



Although we cannot give patent instructions for 

 general application, we can pronounce cautions, and 

 we do not fail in these cautions from time to time. 

 We caution everyone against experiment in eating 

 fungi which are unknown to them, or not recom- 

 mended by a competent authority. There are 

 sufficient good and reliable species without making 

 experiments, and, as the only safe guide is knowledge, 

 we recommend everyone to know a few good species 

 thoroughly well, to have them pointed out, to examine 

 for themselves, and then they may always eat them 

 without fear. It is as easy to learn to distinguish 

 one edible species from another as it is to know a 

 partridge from a sea-gull, and yet the latter process 

 requires no man to be an ornithologist. 



We have already cautioned readers against agarics 

 with pink or salmon coloured spores, and a caution 

 of this kind may still be continued, even although 

 two species are quite harmless and delicate eating. 



Further we may advise abstention from all bright 

 red, scarlet, or crimson agarics or russules unless the 



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