THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
29 
1. Cantharellus cibarius — The yellow Chantarelle. 
2. Boletus edulis — Boletus. 
3. Morchella esculent a — Morel. 
4. Ly coper don bovista — Giant Puff ball. 
5. Tuber cibarium — Truffle. 
It will be observed with regard to this list that their tri- 
vial names for the most part denote their food characteristics, 
and it may be remarked that we have chosen only the species 
here indicated as illustrations, admitting at the same time 
that other species of each genus may be equally good for 
food. 
1. The Chantarelle is distinguished from the Agarics in 
that in the latter the gills are distinctly separable from the 
flesh, while in the former they are folds of the flesh of the 
fungus, and not separable. The whole plant is of a buff 
yellow colour, easily distinguished, as it occurs gregariously in 
our woods. We have met with it in the greatest profusion 
in the woods of Cotteswold country, whence we have ab- 
stracted many a delicious meal of them. 
The Bev. M. J. Berkely, in 'Hooker’s Flora,’ vol. ii, 
speaks of it as follows : — " Smell very agreeable, like that of 
ripe apricots ; taste agreeable, but pungent. This species 
forms, according to Bulliard, a main article of food in some 
districts of Europe, though dangerous when eaten raw. It 
must not, when sought for that purpose, be confounded with 
the C. aurantiacus , which is reckoned unwholesome, if not 
poisonous.” 
The taste, smell, and appearance of the juices of the edible 
Chantarelle, as well as of the orange one are, indeed, much 
like those possessed by the apricot, and hence it forms, when 
cooked, a most elegant-looking dish. 
Dr. Badham says : — "No fungus is more popular than the 
above, though the merits, nay, the very existence of such a 
fungus at home is confined to the Freemasons, who keep the 
secret ! Having collected a quantity at Tunbridge Wells 
this summer (1847 ?) and given them to the cook at the 
Calverley Hotel to dress, I learnt from the waiter that they 
were not novelties to him; that, in fact, he had been in the 
habit of dressing them for years, on state occasions, at the 
Freemasons’ Tavern. They were generally fetched, so he 
said, from the neighbourhood of Chelmsford, and were always 
well paid for.” 
The learned doctor says that “ the best way of cooking 
the Chantarelle are either to stew or mince it by itself, or to 
combine it with meat or with other funguses.” We, how- 
ever, prefer to have them simply buttered and roasted before 
