﻿12 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EASY 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  have 
  been 
  found 
  employing 
  certain 
  species 
  as 
  delicacies. 
  

   Not 
  only 
  in 
  China, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  examples 
  of 
  

   dried 
  edible 
  fungi 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  International 
  Exhibition 
  

   of 
  1862, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  Himalayas 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Rocky 
  

   Mountains, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Terra 
  del 
  Fuego, 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  

   and 
  Australia, 
  to 
  say 
  nothing 
  of 
  European 
  countries, 
  

   certain 
  species 
  afford 
  wholesome 
  and 
  nutritious 
  food. 
  

   Of 
  their 
  chemical 
  composition 
  we 
  are 
  very 
  deficient 
  in 
  

   information. 
  Few 
  authentically- 
  determined 
  species 
  have 
  

   yet 
  come 
  under 
  the 
  cognizance 
  of 
  the 
  chemist, 
  and 
  there 
  

   is 
  but 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  does 
  the 
  composition 
  

   vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  different 
  species, 
  as 
  evidenced 
  by 
  their 
  

   wholesome 
  or 
  unwholesome 
  properties, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  species 
  under 
  different 
  conditions 
  of 
  climate 
  and 
  

   habitat, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  during 
  the 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  its 
  

   existence 
  ; 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  being 
  sufficient 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   to 
  convert 
  a 
  wholesome 
  food 
  into 
  a 
  very 
  injurious, 
  and, 
  

   perhaps, 
  dangerous 
  substance. 
  

  

  GILL-BEA1UNG 
  FUNGI. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  a 
  mo. 
  comnletp 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  structure 
  and 
  arrangement 
  (/ 
  Vungi, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  advisable 
  

   to 
  commence 
  with 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  

   known, 
  as 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  divisions 
  of 
  this 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  group 
  of 
  plants. 
  Every 
  one 
  knows 
  what 
  a 
  mush- 
  

   room 
  is, 
  at 
  least 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  regards 
  its 
  external 
  appearand'. 
  

   If 
  we 
  carefully 
  remove 
  the 
  soil 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   stem 
  which 
  bears 
  the 
  cap-like 
  receptacle 
  of 
  mushrooms, 
  

  

  