282 INI U S II 
lawn, where they are fcen gently ofcillating their fnow- 
Tvhite bells to and fro, as the morning zephyr or the 
evening breeze chooi'es to move them. Their milky 
brightnefs harmonizes wonderfully with the verdant fur- 
face, above which they raife their (mart and elegant heads 
to the height of eight or nine inches. In this,and feveral 
other kinds, the procel's of difengaging the head or cap 
from the Item is probably occafioned, not only by the in- 
creafe of the fubllance in the fuperior regions of the cap, 
but particularly by thedilatation of the air which nature 
has placed there for the purpofe. Thus the fmall particle 
of that element,contained in an egg, and fecluded from the 
reft by a thin pellicle at the round end of it, does by fwell- 
ing and expanding, through the heat produced by incuba¬ 
tion, and by prefling upon the albumen, let the admirable 
mechanifm into motion, and force to a flow difplay the 
fparkof life fo curioufly treafured within the (hell. 
In the fpecimen drawn at fig. z. «, we may remark a 
young fungus of a molt pleating kind. The cap, or head, 
is exatftly of the colour and texture of fmooth red-mo¬ 
rocco, and catches the eye from a great diftance by the 
contrail of its brightnefs with the green turf out of which 
jt ftrives to emerge. The cap feems to be attached to the 
item by a double ligament $ as the remains of one is Hill 
to be feen nearer to the bulb or root, if we may be allowed 
to call it fo ; wliilft the lecond afcends with the ttalk, to 
confine the buckler. This infant fungus exhibits a phal- 
Uque fhape, which it lofes when arrived at the itate of 
maturity. But the molt curious peculiarity of this cryp- 
togamic plant is, that fome individuals are f’prinkled with 
a fort of yellow dull, which at firft has the appearance of 
warts. This we are inclined to take for the generative 
pollen, or perhaps feed ; for, though it is more frequent 
upon the young ones, it is ftill to be traced on the adults, 
and upon thole that have arrived to a maturer age. We 
have contrived to follow the difplay of this dull in our 
engraving; but, as the fungus conftantly refufes to grow 
when feparated from its native mould, our obfervations 
were not conclulive. We have however difcovered, that 
there is a fmall hole under each of thefe fcattered heaps of 
dull, through which a communication is opened with the 
pulp and lacinicB or gills, under the umbeliiform buckler. 
This buckler often fpreads fo wide as to meafure fix or 
eight inches in diameter, prelerving the fame brightnefs 
of colour, with a gentle mixture of yellow on the edges: 
lee fig. 2. b. Elevated from the ground about five or fix 
inches, the form approaches that of an elegant foot-ftool 
covered with crimfon leather on a yellowilh (land. This 
family is alfo gregarious, but the individuals feldom, if 
ever, Hand very clofe to each other. They thine like fo 
many focufl'es of cinnabar-light on the furrounding green, 
and are no fmall ornament in the folitary walks of the 
woocjs about the middle of October. They attract the 
eye to look at, the hand to pluck, them, the mind to admire 
their beauty; but woe to him.who eats them ! They are 
pernicious, and confirm the melancholy axiom, that fair 
appearances are too often deceitful. 
Fig. 3. Some great characters have been known who 
were -without any lbrt of take for the charms of painting, 
and the harmonies of mufic. Dr. Johnfon, according to 
the repeated fratements of his perhaps too-accurate bio¬ 
grapher, Bofwell, had no eyes for painting; and Mr. Fox, 
if we believe his eulogift, Mr. J. B. Trotter, derived no 
plealure from mufic. Thefe are lamentable anomalies in 
the catalogue of lenfible individuals ; and we can hardly 
believe, that thofe who were fo keenly alive to the har¬ 
mony of Languages and the imagery of nature, could have 
been deprived of that fenj’us intimus, that inward faculty, 
which produces delight, when vibrating in unifon with 
the fevenfold and kindred harmonies of colours and 
founds. The confonances of Nature, however, will find 
conltant admirers, even in thofe for whom Art feems to 
have had inadequate charms. They will not fail to com¬ 
pare the analogies exifting between the works of the crea¬ 
tion, and be delighted by the refult, 1110ft peculiarly in the 
jollowing delineation. J 
R O G M, 
The muftiroom, at %• 3 . prefeiits to the eye a fimilitude 
with variety, a family uniting kindred with difference of 
character, and individuals diftinguilhed from others, only 
by fome internal difpofition which, in her wonderful 
power of multiplying external forms, Nature feems to 
have ftamped with curious marks of contradiftinftion. It 
ranges with the honey-combed tribe; and is drawn after 
nature in form and fize. Tire pellicle which binds the 
cap to the ftalk is not in this fo perceptible as in the two 
above-defcribed fpecies; but die contexture of the organs 
(as we ftill believe) of refpiration, call for particular ob- 
fervation. They are compofed of an immenfe number of 
fmall tubes, let clofe againft each other, like the infant 
feed on the eatable part or bottom of an artichoke : but, 
iince thefe pipes do not leave the mufnroom in its old age, 
we do not think they have any fhare in the great work of 
reproduction. Their fituation is depicted in the fruit on 
the fame Plate, fig. 5. b. where, in the fedtion, the pulp and 
the lungs-are molt correctly imitated ; with this only dif¬ 
ference, that, in the latter, the tubes are yellow, whereas 
they are of a whitifh colour in the former. A.general re¬ 
mark, which we have been able conftantly to make, is, 
that the buckler of the mature muftiroom of this fort, 
that is the honey-combed one, is mollly diltinguifhable by 
the pointed umbo of its Ihield, which is feldom perceptible 
in the laciniated individual. The lpecimen at fig. 3. is an 
infant fungus : when at its full growth, it fometim.es mea- 
lures between five and fix inches in diameter ; and, except 
in colour, relembles much the fubjeCt drawn at fig. 2. b, 
with the exception of the umbo, which is not entirely flat¬ 
tened. This fpecies leldom, in its Itate of decrepitude, 
turns up its lungs more eafily to breathe, as the laciniated 
ones generally do ; the nature of the relpirative apparatus 
requiring not this fort of convulfion, on account of its 
being vertically placed towards the earth. The ftalk, in 
this, is flender, with a fort of knob at the lower extremity. 
Fig. 4. The difference which is molt obvious between 
this plant and the foregoing at the fame ftage of life, is the 
obefity of the ftalk. Nature feems to colleft at firft within 
this filamentous and porous fubftance, all that is neceflary 
for the ultimate expanfion of the fungus, and particularly 
for its cap, which, when the whole is ripened, becomes 
fo bulky and fo diftended, as to meafure 1’ometimes nine 
or twelve inches in diameter, and to weigh two or three 
pounds. It ranks with the honey-combed families ; and, 
when old, turns black, and diffolves in an unleemly, fliape- 
lefs, and difgufting, mafs, but which probably manures 
and fattens the ground where it is allowed to rot in dark 
and moift deformity. The engraving reprefents the fub- 
je£t in the proportion of about a-third part of its natural 
fize, and aims at expreffing the filky appearance of the 
cap and of the paunch-like body. A few filaments play 
about the lower end of this hydropic puffed-up ftalk, but 
do not bear the appearance ot roots. The fuckers at the 
bottom of the ftalk do all the work. 
Fig. 5. Proud of refembling in colour and fhape a 
lection of the Hefperian fruit, the fubjefl under this 
number rifes from the emerald field with a bold and 
gawdy appearance. The pole of a large orange oppofite 
the ftalk, is faithfully reprefented by the buckler of this 
fungus. The umbo is like the nipple of the golden fruit, 
and the inequalities on the furface complete the refem- 
blance. But there is a vifcidity on the cap which the Ikin 
of the otange has not; and this liquid exudation will 
ftain any paper or linen with nearly-indelible yeilow 
fpots. The lungs are of a greenifli tinge, and wax darker 
in time; but what we call here time, muft be underltood 
as the fpace of a day or two in fair weather. The fpeci- 
men is drawn of the natural fize. This fort will often be 
feen alone, or with one, or at molt two, companions, ge¬ 
nerally of a younger age, in the middle of a lawn, where 
the fine turf does not rife much above ground; and will 
attract the eye by its golden difk, beaming with great 
brightnefs in the funfhine of a fair Obtober morning. 
Near the fpecimen here faithfully exhibited, at the mo¬ 
ment we culled it, a warbling red-breaft, balanced upon 
4 tiie 
