904 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
R ketchup species, it is undeniably good, and its yield of this 
sauce is rich and abundant. 
3. The Agaricus pi'unulus of authors, so called by Dr. 
Badhara, is the Ag. gambosus. —Fries, or the true St. George’s 
mushroom; it is the mouceron or mousseron of the French, 
from its growing so frequently amongst moss on the Conti¬ 
nent, so says Dr. Bull; but this is by no means its character 
in England. With us it is usually found in the meadow or 
on the downy upland, occupying well-defined fairy rings; 
and as it is seldom seen beyond the second or third week in 
May, it can scarcely be confounded with any other species. 
Dr. Badham says truly: They are reproduced in these 
rings about the same time every year, the circle continuing 
to enlarge till it breaks up at last into irregular lines, which 
is a sure sign to the collector that the prunulus is about to 
disappear from that place, just as the presence of an unbroken 
ring is conclusive of a plentiful harvest the next spring.” 
This is one of the most delicious and wholesome of the 
whole tribe, and yet so little is it known that tons of it are 
destroyed every year, every countryman deeming it a merit 
to kick about and trample upon this toadstool ” wherever 
he finds it, and yet, as we are informed by Badham: It is 
much prized in the Homan market, where it easily fetches 
30 baiocchi, i. e. Is. 3d. a pound, a large sum for any luxury 
at Rome. It is sent in little baskets as presents to patrons, 
fees to medical men, and bribes to Roman lawyers. When 
dried, it constitutes the so-called ‘ funghi di Genoa,’ which 
are sold on strings throughout Italy.” 
These funghi are sold at the Italian warehouse at the high 
price of 3d. an ounce for flavouring soups, &c. 
We have known the fresh agarics cooked like mushrooms, 
partaken of by seventy hearty young men in an evening, and 
with no after ill-effects, which, indeed, we have never heard 
of, though we have introduced it at so many tables, and 
always look out for it in its season with great interest. They 
are good grilled, fried with a little bacon, stewed, in a mince 
or fricassee, or in a vol-au-veut, and wdierever the smell of 
these well cooked is once perceived, it becomes as appetising 
as the burnt j)ig in Charles Lambts story, of which Bo-bo 
thrust the lesser half by main force into the fists of Ho-ti, 
still shouting out ^^Eat, eat, the burnt pig, father; only taste 
—O Lord !” 
We once took a basket of these to a meeting of the Cottes- 
wold Naturalists Field Club, wdiich was appointed at Swindon 
Station. On sending these by the waiter to be cooked, it 
was evident that he had some misgivings as to the sanity of 
