424 
THE ESCULENT FUNGUSES OF ENGLAND. 
principles, the only residue left being pure 
fungine, which is equally innoxious, and the 
same in all funguses whatever. It is, more- 
over, worthy of remark, that though the com- 
mon mushroom (Agaricus campestris) varies 
considerably, both as to flavour and whole- 
someness (circumstances attributable in part 
to the varieties of soil in which it flourishes ;*) 
other funguses, on the contrary, being mostly 
restricted for their alimentation and re- pro- 
duction to some one particular habitat, do not 
present such differences. The Boletus cdulis, 
the Fistulina hepatica, the Agaricus Oreades, 
the Agaricus procerus, the Agaricus pru- 
nulus, the Agaricus fusipes, the Cantharellus 
cibarius, &c, are in flavour, and other sen- 
sible qualities, just the same in England as 
they are in France, Switzerland, or Italy. 
Thus the objection to eat funguses on the 
ground of their presenting differences depend- 
ing on those of the locality where they grow, 
applies principally, if it apply at all, to the 
English mushroom, of which no housekeeper 
is afraid, and by no means to those species, 
the introduction of which into our markets 
and kitchens forms the main object of this 
treatise. 
"Besides the foregoing objections to fun- 
guses on the general ground of their supposed 
indigestibility, or else the more particular one 
of their not being at all times and in all 
places the same, a further and weightier one, 
as it is commonly urged, is the alleged impos- 
sibility of our being able to discriminate with 
certainty the good from the bad ; an objection 
which derives much of its supposed weight 
from the apparently clashing testimonies of 
authors respecting the same species, who not 
unfrequently describe, under a common name, 
a fungus which some of them assert to be 
esculent, some doubtful, and others, altogether 
poisonous in its qualities. Such discrepan- 
cies, however, have already in many cases 
been satisfactorily adjusted, whilst a more 
minute attention and corresponding improve- 
ment in the pictorial representation of species 
is daily diminishing the errors of the older 
mycologists. Admitting then, what there is 
no gainsaying, the existence of many dan- 
gei'ous individuals in this family, f ought we 
not in a matter of such importance rather to 
apply ourselves to the task of discriminating 
them accurately, than permit idle rumours of 
its impracticability, or even its real difficulty 
* " It grows not only throughout Europe, but in 
India also." 
f " We should apply the same rales of discrimination 
here as elsewhere ; have we not picked potatoes for 
our table out of the deadly family of Solatia ? selected 
with care the garden from the fool's parsley? and do 
we not pickle gherkins, notwithstanding their affinity 
to the E/aterium momordicum, which would poison 
us if we wore to eat it V 
to dehort us from the undertaking ? Assur- 
edly nature, who has given to brutes an in- 
stinct, by which to select their aliment, has 
not left man without a discriminative power 
to do the same, with equal certainty ; nor does 
he use his privileges to their full, or employ 
his senses as he might, when he suffers him- 
self to be surpassed by brute animals, in their 
diagnosis of food. 
" The first thing to know about funguses 
is, that in the immense majority of cases, 
they are harmless ; the innoxious and esculent 
kinds are the rule, the poisonous the excep- 
tions to it ; in a general way, it is more easy 
to say what we should not eat, than what we 
may ; we should never eat any that smell 
sickly or poisonous. Opinions respecting the 
agreeableness or disagreeableness of an odour, 
as of a taste, may differ ; thus, in France and 
Italy (where the palate seems to us to bribe 
the judgment of the nose), it is usual to speak 
of that of the Agaricus prunidus as ' perfum- 
ing the air ;' but though the strong peculiar 
smell exhaled by this and some other esculent 
funguses, be anything but a perfume, as we 
apprehend the term, it is very different from 
that intolerable foetor, that nauseous over- 
whelming odour given out by the Phallus 
impudicus, the Clathrus cancellatus, the 
Amanita verna, and its varieties. There are 
some, indeed, which, yielding no smell, will 
poison notwithstanding ; but then there are 
none to lure us into a false security by a 
deceitful fragrance. The same negative indi- 
cations are furnished by the palate as by the 
nose ; those that are bitter, or styptic, or that 
burn the fauces on mastication, or that parch 
the throat when they have been swallowed, 
should be put aside ; those that yield spiced 
milk, of whatever colour, should be held, 
notwithstanding exceptions, in suspicion, as 
an unsafe dairy to deal with. The 'Lucchese 
Goat' {Agaricus piperatus), and the ' Cow of 
the Vosges' (Agaricus lactifluus aureus), 
though in high request ;in their respective 
localities, and really delicate themselves, are 
akin to others whose milks, though they may 
have the colour of gold, have the qualities of 
gamboge. Paulet was once so indiscreet as to 
eat a slice of the Griper (Agaricus tormi- 
nosus), which belongs to this genus, and after- 
wards still more indiscreet in giving it the 
inviting name of ' Mouton zone / it is well, 
however, that the reader should be apprized, 
as he will frequently come across this i Moutori 
in his walks, that it is a perfect wolf in 
sheep's clothing, nor less to be avoided than 
one nearly allied to it, which rejoices in the 
name of Necator, or the Slayer. Here, as it 
is a safe rule, rather to condemn many that 
may be innocent, than to admit one that is at 
all suspicious to our confidence, we should, 
