Foreign Vegetables. 433 
making as it were Partitions. The Female , accord- 
ing to Pliny , is more foluble, of a fweet Tafte at 
firft, which foon after turns to Bitternefs : Ahd this 
is preferable. The Shops, however, at prefent^ 
have no Regard to thefe Diftindtions. They chufe 
the more white and light, and call it the Female j 
as they call the ponderous and black Sort the Male . 
It is alfo called Agaricus pedis equini facie , Inft . R. Ft. 
562. Fungus in Caudicibus nafcens unguis equini for- 
md, C. B.P. 372. Fungi igniarii , Tragi, 943. This 
is not ufed in Medicines, but is of fome Service 
in dyeing. It grows upon the old Trunks of Wal- 
nut-trees, Oak-trees, and others, of a callous, Woody 
Subftance in its Circumference, compofed of (freight 
Fibres, in the Middle fofter, externally of a cineri- 
tious Colour, internally more obfcure, tending to 
brown. It is rendered fofter, and very lufceptible 
of Fire in the following Manner. It is boiled in a 
Lye, and when dry pounded : Then it is boiled a- 
gain in a nitrous Water, and dried. 
Our Agarick is the fame with that of the Anci- 
ents, though Salmafius thinks otherwife. The an- 
cient Greeks were uncertain whether it was a Root, 
Or a Fungus arifing from the Putrefaction of Trees. 
Pliny and Mefue judged it to be of the fungous 
Kind : For they thought that Agarick and fungous 
Bodies had the fame Origin, believing them to be 
produced from large Trees when they began to rot 
or grow old ; fo that they imagined Agarick to a- 
rife from Putrefaction, like an lmpofthume. Pliny 
in particular relates, that it is found upon Trees in 
Gaul , which bear a Fruit in the Figure of a Cone* 
BraJJavolus and others write, that they have feen A- 
garick growing upon Oaks, Firs, and Pitch-trees. 
But Matthiolus and Bellonius declare, that they never 
faw it upon any other befides the Larch-tree 5 and 
without Doubt, it is the Fungus of this Tree. For 
F f the 
