lii
Journal of Proceedings.
ous and turns to an azure colour when cut or broken, and Dr. Cooke
thought the plant was designed by Providence to indicate "blue ruin"
to the unwary fungus-eater !
Mr. Worthington Smith thought the Doctor had made a slight slip in
stating that Lactarius deliciosus was the only edible member of the genus,
as the allied L. volemum grew in Epping Forest, and was universally
allowed to be one of the greatest gastronomic delicacies in the family
of mushrooms. He had been several times asked during the afternoon
whether there was any general rule for distinguishing an edible from a
poisonous species ; no such general rule existed. Fungi like other
natural objects required to be studied to be well known. In addition
to the anatomical details mentioned by Dr. Cooke, Mr. Smith stated
that there were many empirical characters of great importance in the
discrimination of fungi. For instance, the habitat is always of great
value, and notice should be taken whether the fungus to be determined
grew in a wood, a hedgeside, or meadow. If in a wood the character
of the trees should be noted ; some fungi are peculiar to Fir woods,
others to plantations of Beeches, Larches, and other trees. If the fungi
grow on trunks or stumps, especial attention must be paid to the
nature of the trunks, whether of Oak, Elm, Beech, Fir, or any other
tree or bush. The same rule applied to fallen twigs and dead leaves.
The habit also was of great value, whether growing in a solitary
manner, in groups, in "fairy-rings," one or two together, or in great
companies. Coming to the plant itself, Mr. Smith said that as there
were about 1,000 species of mushroom-like fungi in this country, it was
evident that only the most careful examination of all parts of the struc-
ture, stem, pileus, gills, and spores would enable the botanist to dis-
criminate many critical species. Especial attention should be paid to
the top, whether it is fleshy or thin ; its "flesh" dry, watery or milky ;
its upper portion smooth, rough, warted, or gelatinous; the stem may
be rough or smooth, with or without a ring, springing from a bulb or
from an attenuated root-like growth, hollow or solid, with or without
bark, have pith or be pithless. The gills or plates under the top must
be noted, whether these structures are thick or thin, crowded together
or distant from each other, whether running down the stem or free
from it, and whether the colour is black, white, pink or brown. The
spores are equally important ; their colour, form and size must be
observed with care in the discrimination of critical species. Some
spores are very large, as in Agaricus mucidus (found that afternoon);
whilst others, as in Polyporus caesius, are excessively small; some are
round, others oval, some pip-shaped, some nodulose, others furnished
with spines like a hedgehog. Odour, too, is of great importance as an
empirical character, said Mr. Smith ; different fungi are furnished
with the most diverse smells, and many can be named at once by the
fragrant or foetid scent alone. Taste was of equal importance, some