7i 
behind forbidding its return in that direction. Thus the circle is 
continually increased, and extends indefinitely till some cause 
intervenes to destroy it. If the spawn does not spread on all sides 
an arc of a circle only is produced. The manure arising from the 
dead Fungi of former years makes the grass peculiarly vigorous 
around, so as to render the circle visible even when there is no 
external appearance of the Fungus, and the contrast is often the 
stronger from that behind being killed by the old spawn.” On 
Page 41 some of the Fairy-ring Toadstools are shown on a larger 
scale ; they are usually abundant in August and September, and 
have a pleasant mushroomy odour. Though rarely eaten in 
England, they are much used on the continent, and are often dried 
on strings for winter use. The individual Toadstools are small, 
tough and elastic, shrivelling in dry weather, and reviving again in 
wet They are of a pale tan colour, lighter when dry ; the gills are 
rather far apart, and not attached to the stem. 
Somewhat resembling the Champignon is the Wood Woolly-foot 
(Marasmius peronatus, Page 42). Its colour is, however, much 
darker, and the base of the stem is clothed with a pale shaggy wool. 
Besides this, the Woolly-foot grows on dead leaves, under trees, and 
appears later in the year than the Champignon. If a mistake should 
arise, probably little harm would result, for this Toadstool is said to 
have been repeatedly eaten with impunity. Its taste is acrid and 
unpleasant when raw. 
If you can imagine a large mushroom with its gills cut away, and 
replaced by a number of fine tubes tightly pressed together, you wjll 
have a very good idea what a Boletus is like. The tubes vary m 
length, colour and size in differnt species, and bear spores on their 
inner surfaces, in the same way that the gills of a mushroom do. 
The Boleti are large Fungi, and many varieties may be safely eaten, 
but all those which turn blue when broken or cut, should be regarded 
with suspicion. On the Continent the Boletus is probably more 
commonly used as an article of diet than any other Fungus, and may 
be purchased cut into slices and dried, under the name of “ceps,” in 
which condition it is used to flavour soups and made dishes. In the 
more foreign quarters of London “ ceps " may frequently be seen for 
sale. In preparing Boleti for culinary purposes it is best to use only 
young specimens, and to remove the stems, and scrape away the 
tubes before cooking, as the latter are rather mucilaginous. On 
Page 43 is seen the large and beautiful summer Boletus (Boletus 
aestivalis). Its cap is tan-coloured and silky above, and its pores 
greyish. It does not change in colour when broken or cut, and is 
said to be delicious. The Variegated Boletus (Boletus variegatus) 
seen on Page 44 has very fine pores of a yellow or brown colour, and 
a yellowish, rather sticky cap. Its smell is unpleasant, and its flesh 
becomes bluish when broken or cut. 
The Vegetable Beef-steak(Fistulinahepatica, Page 45) is indeed 
a curious Fungus. It grows on old oaks, and first appears as a 
reddish knob, rather like a strawberry, on the bark of a tree in early 
Autumn. This enlarges, and becomes darker in colour and in a few 
weeks a shelf-like projection is formed sticking out horizontally from 
the tree. As it ripens, it becomes more succulent, and the reason of 
its name becomes clear, for in both colour and texture it is like beef- 
steak, and the dark reddish juice which exudes increases this 
resemblance. The specimen in the photograph is rather young, but 
in older ones, the spore-bearing tubes on the under surface are easily 
seen. The Beef-steak is edible, and differs from all other Fungi in 
