132 



Marvels of the Universe 



BEEF-STEAKS THAT GROW UPON TREES 



BY EDWARD STEP, F.L.S. 



In the autumn and winter chiefly, the rambler in the woods is ahnost sure to notice remarkable 

 growths from the trunks of trees, mostlj' out of reach. These take the shape of semicircular 

 brackets, often of considerable size, and of corky or woody consistency. Among them, however, 

 in the earlier part of the autumn, will be found one of much softer character, dark red on the upper 



surface and flesh-coloured be- 

 ^^ 1 low. It may be a foot or 



more across, and weigh several 

 pounds. 



This is the \'egetable Beef- 

 steak, or Beef-steak Fungus. 

 realit\' it looks more like a 

 nass of liver when viewed 

 om above ; but when it is 



through. 



streaks of 



hter and darker red afford 

 considerable justification for 

 popular name Another 

 feature that supports the name 

 is its juiciness. When cut, a 

 thin red gravy exudes freely 

 and plentifully from it. If this 

 found to be 

 htly acid. 

 Fungus is 

 ahnost restricted to the oak- 

 tree, but rareh' it may be 

 other trees. Where 

 oak woods of any 

 would be an easy task, 

 September, to gather a 

 ight of vegetable 

 the course of an hour 

 Ordinarily, it grows 

 or seven feet from 

 the ground, but in dry seasons 

 will be found much nearer 

 the roots, or actually on them. 

 In the phenomenally dry year 

 of igii most specimens were 

 to be found low down, the trees evidently affording more moisture to the fungus a little above the 

 roots. There can be little doubt that the astringencj^ of its juice is due to tannin it has extracted 

 from the oak. 



It is, perhaps, unnecessary to explain that the Vegetable Beef-steak is a parasite. All the j^ear 

 its threads are e.xtending farther and farther into the woody tissues of the oak, robbing it of nutri- 

 ment, and breaking down its cellular structure, so that its timber becomes worthless. But it is not 

 so speedy in its work of ruin as man}' other fungi, whose brackets we may find in the woods ; and, as 



Photo bt/] 



The Mole 



[i'. fileji, F.L.S. 



THE MOLE. 



een above ground, and then makes desperate efforts 



nay occasionally bi 



to escape observation by digging a new burro 



