95 
whose edible virtues had been proved by himself and his friends. 
You will find in my list no less than thirty-five species or varieties 
growing in Norfolk, of which Mr. W. C. Cooke contributes twenty- 
four, ]\[r. Plowright, of Lynn, seventeen, these, together with 
information obtained from the Eev. Kirby Trimmer, ^Ir. ^lills, of 
Fakenham, Dr. Crowfoot, of Bcccles, together with some notes of 
my own, constitute the list which I present as a nucleus of what 
will doubtless soon bo more extended, and hence more useful. 
Lady Stracey, whoso knowledge of British fungi is considerable, 
has very kindly lent mo her collection of drawings of fungi taken 
from nature ; this 1 have brought this evening to show you, there 
are many edible varieties amongst them. 1 regret that want of 
time has prevented my accejiting her Ladyship’s offer of enabling 
mo to see the manuscript descriptions and drawings of fungi made 
by the late Mr. Ward, of Salhouso, which I believe is the very best 
of its kind. I will now jiroceod brieily to consider the individual 
fungi specified in my list, commencing with the genus A(/f(ricu.<>, 
of which no less than fifteen edible species and two varieties grow 
in this county, ten of which you will find figured in Smith’s chart. 
The meadow mushroom (^Agaricus C(impei<irix) is the fungus 
almost exclusively eaten by the general public in this country. A 
writer in the American H’o/'/iZ of Science gives the following 
concise account of the difference between the edible mushroom 
and the poisonous fungi resembling it. First and foremost, the 
true mushroom {A.c.) is invariably found among grass, in rich 
open pastures, and never in or about stumps or in woods. 
Many cases of poisoning have occurred owing to the suppo.sed 
mushroom being gathered from stumps or in woods. It is true 
there is a certain variety of A.c. found in woods and woody places 
{A. salviiwla), but as far as amateurs are concerned it is best left 
alone. 
A second verj' good point is the peculiar intense purple colour of 
the spores — the ripe, fully-matured mushroom derives the intense 
purple brown colour of its gills from the innumerable number of 
these spores. To see these and to become acquainted with their 
peculiar colour, remove the stem from the mushroom, lay the 
upper portion with the gills lowennost on a sheet of writing paper, 
in a few hours the spores will be deposited in a thick, dark, im- 
palpable powder. Sometimes the top is white and soft like kid 
