OUTLINES

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BRITISH FUNGOLOGY.

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CHAPTER I.

PRELIMINARY OBSERYATIONS.

Every one is more or less acquainted with the soft, fugitive,variously coloured, succulent plants, which abound every-where in our woods and meadows, and which are knownunder the common names of Toadstools, Mushrooms, orChampignons, according as they are objects of disgust or ad-miration, from their real or supposed poisonous or nutritiousqualities. While therefore the former are, in general, kickedon one side, or trodden down, the latter, in proportion tothe degree of knowledge possessed, are carefully gathered andturned to use. There is, however, no general word in ourlanguage which will comprehend even the whole of this group,much less the vast tribe of plants which are classed with themin every Natural botanical arrangement. Popular knowledge,indeed, goes sometimes far enough to associate with themsome of the Fungi which grow on the trunks of trees, as thenearly smooth Polyporus of the birch, and the scaly species of

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