第15章

atmost，oneortwowindowsopenedonaworldthathasnotyetbeenexploredwithalltheattentionwhichitdeserves。

Aworsedestinyawaitsthemushrooms，whichweremybotanicaljoysfrommyearliestyouth。Ihaveneverceasedtokeepupmyacquaintancewiththem。Tothisday，forthemerepleasureofrenewingit，Igo，withahaltingstep，tovisitthemonfineautumnafternoons。Istilllovetoseethefatheadsoftheboletes，thetopsoftheagaricsandthecoral—redtuftsoftheclavariaemergeabovethecarpetpinkwithheather。

AtSerignan，mylaststage，theyhavelavishedtheirseductionsuponme，soplentifularetheyontheneighboringhills，woodedwithholmoak，arbutusandrosemary。Duringtheselatteryears，theirwealthinspiredmewithaninsaneplan:thatofcollectingineffigywhatIwasunabletokeepinitsnaturalstateinanherbarium。Ibegantopaintlifesizepicturesofallthespeciesinmyneighborhood，fromthelargesttothesmallest。Iknownothingoftheartofpaintinginwatercolors。Nomatter:whatI

haveneverseenpracticedIwillinvent，managingbadlyatfirst，thenalittlebetter，atlastwell。Thepaintbrushwillmakeachangefromthestrainofmydailyoutputofprose。

Iendbypossessingsomehundredsofsheetsrepresentingthemushroomsoftheneighborhoodintheirnaturalsizeandcolors。Mycollectionhasacertainvalue。Ifitlacksartisticfinish，atleastitboaststhemeritofaccuracy。ItbringsmevisitorsonSundays，countrypeople，whostareatitinallsimplicity，astoundedthatsuchfinepicturesshouldbedonebyhand，withoutacopyandwithoutcompasses。Theyatoncerecognizethemushroomrepresented;theytellmeitspopularname，thusprovingthefidelityofmybrush。

Well，whatwillbecomeofthisgreatpileofdrawings，theobjectofsomuchwork？Nodoubt，myfamilywillkeeptherelicforatime;but，soonerorlater，takinguptoomuchspace，shiftedfromcupboardtocupboard，fromattictoattic，gnawedbytherats，foxed，dirtiedandstained，itwillfallintothehandsofsomelittlegrandnephewswhowillcutitintosquarestomakepapercaps。Itistheuniversalrule。Whatourillusionshavemostfondlycherishedcomestoapitifulendundertheclawsofruthlessreality。

CHAPTERXVIIIINSECTSANDMUSHROOMS

Itwereoutofplacetorecallmylongrelationswiththeboleteandtheagariciftheinsectdidnothereenterintoaquestionofgraveinterest。Severalmushroomsareedible，someevenenjoyagreatreputation;othersareformidablepoisons。Shortofbotanicalstudiesthatarenotwithineverybody’sreach，howarewetodistinguishtheharmlessfromthevenomous？Thereisawidespreadbeliefwhichsaysthatanymushroomwhichinsects，or，morefrequently，their1arvae，theirgrubs，acceptcanbeacceptedwithoutfear;anymushroomwhichtheyrefusemustberefused。Whatiswholesomefoodforthemcannotfailtobethesameforus;whatispoisonoustothemisboundtobeequallybanefultoourselves。

Thisishowpeopleargue，withapparentlogic，butwithoutreflectingupontheverydifferentcapabilitiesofstomachsinthematterofdiet。Afterall，maytherenotbesomejustificationforthebelief？ThatiswhatIpurposeexamining。

Theinsect，especiallyinthelarvalstage，istheprincipaldevourerofthemushroom。Wemustdistinguishbetweentwogroupsofconsumers。Thefirstreallyeat，thatistosay，theybreaktheirfoodintolittlebits，chewitandreduceittoamouthfulwhichisswallowedjustasitis;theseconddrink，afterfirstturningtheirfoodintoabroth，likethebluebottles。Thefirstarethelessnumerous。Confiningmyselftotheresultsofmyobservationsintheneighborhood，Icount，alltold，inthegroupofchewers，fourbeetlesandamothcaterpillar。Tothesemaybeaddedthemollusk，asrepresentedbyaslug，or，morespecifically，anarion，ofmediumsize，brownandadornedwitharededgetohismantle。Amodestcorporation，whenallissaid，butactiveandenterprising，especiallythemoth。

Attheheadofthemushroomlovingbeetles，IwillplaceaStaphylinid（Oxyporusrufus，LIN。），prettilygarbedinred，blueandblack。Togetherwithhislarva，whichwalkswiththeaidofacrutchatitsback，hehauntsthefungusofthepoplar（Pholiotaaegerita，FRIES）。Hespecializesinanexclusivediet。Ioftencomeacrosshim，bothinspringandautumn，andneveranyelsewherethanonthismushroom。Forthatmatter，hehadmadeawisechoice，theepicure！Thispopularfungusisoneofourbestmushrooms，despiteitscolorofadoubtfulwhite，itsskinwhichisoftenwrinkledanditsgillssoiledwithrustybrownatthespores。Wemustnotjudgepeoplebyappearances，normushroomseither。Thisone，magnificentinshapeandcolor，ispoisonous;thatother，sopoortolookat，isexcellent。

Herearetwomorespecialistbeetles，bothofsmallsize。OneistheTriplax（Triplaxrussica，LIN。），whohasanorangeheadandcorseletandblackwing—cases。Hisgrubtacklesthehispidpolyporus（Polyporushispidus，BULL。），acoarseandsubstantialdish，bristlingatitstopwithstiffhairsandclingingbyitssidetotheoldtrunksofmulberrytrees，sometimesalsoofwalnutandelmtrees。Theotheristhecinnamon—coloredAnisotoma（Anisotomacinnamomea，PANZ。）。Hislarvalivesexclusivelyintruffles。

Themostinterestingofthemushroom—eatingbeetlesistheBolboceras（Bolbocerasgallicus，MUL。）。Ihavedescribedelsewherehismannerofliving，hislittlesongthatsoundslikethechirpingofabird，hisperpendicularwellssunkinsearchofanundergroundmushroom（Hydnocystisorenaria，TUL。），whichconstituteshisregularnourishment。Heisalsoanardentloveroftruffles。I

havetakenfrombetweenhislegs，atthebottomofhismanorhouse，arealtrufflethesizeofahazelnut（TuberRequienii，TUL。）。I

triedtorearhiminordertomaketheacquaintanceofhisgrub;I

housedhiminalargeearthenpanfilledwithfreshsandandenclosedinabellcover。Possessingneitherhydnocistesnortruffles，Iservedhimupsundrymushroomsofaratherfirmconsistency，likethoseofhischoice。Herefusedthemall，helvellaeandclavariae，chanterellesandpezizaealike。

Witharhizopogon，asortoflittlefungoidpotato，whichisfrequentinpinewoodsatamoderatedepthandsometimesevenonthesurface，Iachievedcompletesuccess。Ihadstrewnahandfulofthemonthesandofmybreedingpan。Atnightfall，IoftensurprisedtheBolbocerasissuingfromhiswell，exploringthestretchofsand，choosingapiecenottoobigforhisstrengthandgentlyrollingittowardshisabode。Hewouldgoinagain，leavingtherhizopogon，whichwastoolargetotakeinside，onthethreshold，whereitservedthepurposeofadoor。Nextday，I

foundthepiecegnawed，butonlyontheunderside。

TheBolbocerasdoesnotlikeeatinginpublic，intheopenair;heneedsthediscreetretirementofhiscrypt。Whenhefailstofindhisfoodbyburrowingunderground，hecomesuptolookforitonthesurface。Meetingwithamorseltohistaste，hetakesithomewhenitssizepermits;ifnot，heleavesitonthethresholdofhisburrowandgnawsatitfrombelow，withoutreappearingoutside。Uptothepresent，hydnocistes，trufflesandrhizopogaaretheonlyfoodthatIhaveknownhimtoeat。ThesethreeinstancestellusatanyratethattheBolbocerasisnotaspecialistliketheOxyporusandtheTriplax;heisabletovaryhisdiet;perhapshefeedsonalltheundergroundmushroomsindiscriminately。

Themothenlargesherdomainyetfurther。Hercaterpillarisagrubfiveorsixmillimeterslong，white，withablackshinyhead。

Coloniesofitaboundinmostmushrooms。Itattacksbypreferencethetopofthestem，forepicureanreasonsthatescapeme;thenceitspreadsthroughoutthecap。Itisthehabitualboarderoftheboletes，agarics，lactariiandrussulie。Apartfromcertainspeciesandcertaingroups，everythingsuitsit。Thispunygrub，whichwillspinitselfaninfinitesimalcocoonofwhitesilkunderthepieceattackedandwilllaterbecomeaninsignificantmoth，istheprimordialravager。

Letusnextmentionthearion，thatvoraciousmolluskwhoalsotacklesmostmushroomsofsomesize。Hedigshimselfspaciousnichesinsidethemandtheresitsblissfullyeating。Fewinnumbers，comparedwiththeotherdevourers，heusuallysetsuphousealone。Hehas，bywayofasetofjaws，apowerfulplanewhichcreatesgreatbreachesintheobjectofhisdepredations。Itishewhosehavocismostapparent。

Nowallthesegnawerscanberecognizedbytheirleavings，suchascrumbsandwormholes。Theydigcleanpassages，theyslashandcrumblewithoutaslimytrail，theyarethepinkers。Theothers，theliquefiers，arethechemists;theydissolvetheirfoodbymeansofreagents。AllarethegrubsoffliesandbelongtothecommonaltyoftheMuscidae。Manyaretheirspecies。Todistinguishthemfromoneanotherbyrearingtheminordertoobtaintheperfectstagewouldinvolveagreatexpenditureoftimetolittleprofit。Wewilldescribethembythegeneralnameofmaggots。

Toseethematwork，Iselect，asthefieldofexploitation，thesatanicbolete（BoletusSatanas，LENZ。），oneofthelargestmushroomsthatIcangatherinmyneighborhood。Ithasadirty—

whitecap;themouthsofthetubesareabrightorange—red;thestemswellsintoabulbwithadelicatenetworkofcarmineveins。

Idivideaperfectlysoundspecimenintoequalpartsandplacetheseintwodeepplates，putsidebyside。Oneofthehalvesisleftasitis:itwillactasacontrol，atermofcomparison。Theotherhalfreceivesontheporesofitsundersurfaceacoupleofdozenmaggotstakenfromasecondboleteinfullprocessofdecomposition。

Thedissolvingactionofthegrubassertsitselfontheverydaywhereonthesepreparationsaremade。Theundersurface，originallyabrightred，turnsbrownandrunsineverydirectionintoamassofdarkstalactites。Soon，thefleshofthecapisattackedand，inafewdays，becomesagruelsimilartoliquidasphalt。Itisalmostasfluidaswater。Inthisbroththemaggotswallow，wrigglingtheirbodiesand，fromtimetotime，stickingthebreathingholesintheirsternsabovethewater。Itisanexactrepetitionofwhattheliquefiersofmeat，thegrubsofthegreyfleshflyandthebluebottle，havelatelyshownus。Asforthesecondhalfofthebolete，thehalfwhichIdidnotcolonizewithvermin，itremainscompact，thesameasitwasatthestart，exceptthatitsappearanceisalittlewitheredbyevaporation。Thefluidity，therefore，isreallyandtrulytheworkofthegrubsandofthemalone。

Doesthisliquefactionimplyaneasychange？Onewouldthinksoatfirst，onseeinghowquicklyitisperformedbytheactionofthegrubs。Moreover，certainmushrooms，thecoprini，liquefyspontaneouslyandturnintoablackfluid。Oneofthembearstheexpressivenameoftheinkymushroom（Coprinusatramentarius，BULL。）anddissolvesintoinkofitsownaccord。Theconversion，incertaincases，issingularlyrapid。Oneday，Iwasdrawingoneofourprettiestcoprini（Coprinussterquilinus，FRIES），whichcomesoutofalittlepurseorvolva。Myworkwasbarelydone，acoupleofhoursaftergatheringthefreshmushroom，whenthemodelhaddisappeared，leavingnothingbutapoolofinkuponthetable。

HadIprocrastinatedeversolittle，IshouldnothavehadtimetofinishandIshouldhavelostarareandinterestingfind。

Thisdoesnotmeanthattheothermushrooms，especiallytheboletes，areofephemeraldurationandlackinginconsistency。I

madetheattemptwiththeediblebolete（Boletusedulis，BULL。），thefamouscepeofourkitchens，sohighlyesteemedforitsflavor。

IwaswonderingwhetheritwouldnotbepossibletoobtainfromitasortofLiebig’sextractoffungus，whichwouldbeusefulincooking。Withthispurpose，Ihadsomeofthesemushroomscutintosmallpiecesandboiled，ontheonehand，inplainwaterand，ontheother，inwaterwithbicarbonateofsodaadded。Thetreatmentlastedtwowholedays。Thefleshoftheboletewasindomitable。

Toattackit，Ishouldhavehadtoemployviolentdrugs，whichwereinadmissibleinviewoftheresulttobeattained。

Whatprolongedboilingandtheaidofbicarbonateofsodaleavealmostintactthefly’sgrubsquicklyturnintofluid，evenasthefleshwormsfluidifyhard—boiledwhiteofegg。Thisisdoneineachinstancewithoutviolence，probablybymeansofaspecialpepsin，whichisnotthesameinbothcases。Theliquefierofmeathasitsownbrand;theliquefieroftheboletehasanothersort。

Theplate，then，isfilledwithadark，runninggruel，notunliketarinappearance。Ifweallowevaporationfreecourse，thebrothsets，intoahard，easilycrumbledslab，somethingliketoffee。

Caughtinthismatrix，grubsandpupaperish，incapableoffreeingthemselves。Analyticalchemistryhasprovedfataltothem。Theconditionsarequitedifferentwhentheattackisdeliveredonthesurfaceoftheground。Graduallyabsorbedbythesoil，theexcessofliquiddisappears，leavingthecolonistsfree。Inmydishes，itcollectsindefinitely，killingtheinhabitantswhenitdriesupintoasolidlayer。

Thepurplebolete（Boletuspurpureus，FRIES），whensubjectedtotheactionofthemaggots，givesthesameresultastheSatanicbolete，namely，ablackgruel。Notethatbothmushroomsturnblueifbrokenandespeciallyifcrushed。Withtheediblebolete，whosefleshinvariablyremainswhitewhencut，theproductofitsliquefactionbytheverminisaverypalebrown。Withtheoronge，orimperialmushroom，theresultisabrothwhichtheeyewouldtakeforathinapricotjam。Testsmadewithsundryothermushroomsconfirmtherule:all，whenattackedbythemaggot，turnintoamoreorlessfluidmess，whichvariesincolor。

Whydothetwoboleteswiththeredtubes，thepurpleboleteandthesatanicbolete，changeintoadarkgruel？Ihaveaninklingofthereason。Bothofthemturnblue，withanadmixtureofgreen。A

thirdspecies，thebluishbolete（Boletuscyanescens，BULL。，var。

lacteus，LEVEILLE），possessremarkablecolorsensitiveness。Bruiseiteversolightly，nomatterwhere，onthecap，thestem，thetubesoftheundersurface:forthwith，thewoundedpart，originallyapurewhite，istintedabeautifulblue。Placethisboleteinanatmosphereofcarbonicacidgas。Wecannowknockit，crushit，reduceittopulp;andthebluenolongershows。Butextractafragmentfromthecrushedmass:immediately，atthefirstcontactwiththeair，thematterturnsamostgloriousblue。Itremindsusofaprocessemployedindyeing。Theindigoofcommerce，steepedinwatercontaininglimeandsulfateofiron，orcopperas，isdeprivedofapartofitsoxygen;itlosesitscolorandbecomessolubleinwater，asitwasintheoriginalindigoplant，beforethetreatmentwhichtheplantunderwent。Acolorlessliquidresults。Exposeadropofthisliquidtotheair。Straightway，oxidizationworksupontheproduct:theindigoisreformed，insolubleandblue。

Thisisexactlywhatweseeintheboletesthatturnbluesoreadily。Couldthey，infact，containsoluble，colorlessindigo？

Onewouldsayso，ifcertainpropertiesdidnotgivegroundsfordoubt。Whensubjectedtoprolongedexposuretotheair，theboletesthatareapttoturnblue，particularlythemostremarkable，Boletuscyanescens，losetheircolor，insteadofretainingthedeepbluewhichwouldbeasignofrealindigo。Bethisasitmay，thesemushroomscontainacoloringprinciplewhichisveryliabletochangeundertheinfluenceoftheair。Whyshouldwenotregarditasthecauseoftheblacktintwhenthemaggotshaveliquefiedtheboleteswhichturnblue？Theothers，thosewiththewhiteflesh，theediblebolete，forinstance，donotassumethisasphaltyappearanceoncetheyareliquefiedbythegrubs。

Alltheboletesthatchangetobluewhenbrokenhaveabadreputation;thebookstreatthemasdangerous，oratleastopentosuspicion。ThenameofSatanicawardedtooneofthemisanampleproofofourfears。Thecaterpillarandthemaggotareofanotheropinion:theygreedilydevourwhatweholdindread。Nowhereisastrangething:thosepassionatedevoteesofBoletusSatanasabsolutelyrefusecertainmushroomswhichwefinddelightfuleating，includingthemostcelebratedofall，theoronge，theimperialmushroom，whichtheRomansoftheempire，pastmastersingluttony，calledthefoodofthegods，cibusdeorum，theagaricoftheCaesars，Agaricuscaesareus。Itisthemostelegantofallourmushrooms。Whenitpreparestomakeitsappearancebyliftingthefissuredearth，itisahandsomeovoidformedbytheouterwrapper，thevolva。Thenthispursegentlytearsandthejaggedopeningpartlyrevealsaglobularobjectofamagnificentorange。Takeahen’segg，boilit，removetheshell:whatremainswillbetheimperialmushroominitspurse。Removeapartofthewhiteatthetop，uncoveringalittleoftheyolk。Thenyouhavethenascentimperial。Thelikenessisperfect。Andsothepeopleofmypart，struckbytheresemblance，callthismushroomlouroussetd’iou，or，inotherwords，yolkofegg。Soon，thecapemergesentirelyandspreadsintoadisksofterthansatintothetouchandrichertotheeyethanallthefruitoftheHesperides。Appearingamidthepinkheather，itisanentrancingobject。

Well，thisgorgeousagaric（Amanitacaesarea，SCOP。），thisfoodofthegodsthemaggotabsolutelyrefuses。Myfrequentexaminationshavenevershownmeanimperialattackedbythegrubsinthefield。

Itneedsimprisonmentinajarandtheabsenceofothervictualstoprovoketheattempt;andeventhenthetreaclehardlyseemstosuitthem。Aftertheliquefaction，thegrubstrytomakeoff，showingthatthefareisnottotheirliking。TheMolluskalso，theArion，isanythingbutanardentconsumer。Passingclosetoanimperialmushroomandfindingnothingbetter，hestopsandtakesabite，withoutlingering。If，therefore，werequiredtheevidenceoftheinsect，orevenoftheSlug，toknowwhichmushroomsaregoodtoeat，weshouldrefusethebestofthemall。Thoughrespectedbythevermin，thegloriousimperialisneverthelessruinednotbylarvae，butbyaparasiticfungus，theMycogonerosea，whichspreadsinapurplystainandturnsitintoaputridmass。ThisistheonlydespoilerthatIknowittopossess。

Asecondamanita，thesheathedamanita（Amanitavaginata，BULL。），prettilystreakedontheedgesofthecap，isofanexquisiteflavor，almostequaltotheimperial。Itiscalledloupichotgris，thegrayling，intheseparts，becauseofitscoloring，whichisusuallyanashengray。NeitherthemaggotnortheevenmoreenterprisingMothevertouchesit。Theylikewiserefusethemottledamanita（Amanitapantherina，D。C。），thevernalamanita（Amanitaverna，FRIES）andthelemon—yellowamanita（Amanitacitrina，SCHAEFF。），allthreeofwhicharepoisonous。Inshort，whetheritbetousadeliciousdishoradeadlypoison，noamanitaisacceptedbythegrubs。Thearionalonesometimesbitesatit。

Thecauseoftherefusalescapesus。Itwerevain，speakingofthemottledamanita，forinstance，toallegeasareasonthepresenceofanalkaloidfataltothegrubs，forweshouldhavetoaskourselveswhytheimperial，theamanitaoftheCaesars，whichiswhollyfreefrompoison，isrejectednolessuncompromisinglythanthevenomousspecies。Coulditperhapsbelackofrelish，adeficiencyofseasoningforstimulatingtheappetite？Inpointoffact，wheneatenraw，theamanitashavenoparticularflavor。

Whatshallwelearnfromthesharper—flavoredmushrooms？Here，inthepinewoods，isthewoollymilkmushroom（Lactariustorminosus，SCHAEFF。），turnedinattheedgesandwrappedinacurlyfleece。

Itstasteisbiting，worsethanCayennepepper。Torminosusmeanscolicproducing。Thenameisverysuitable。Unlesshepossessedastomachbuiltforthepurpose，themanwhotouchedsuchfoodasthiswouldhaveasingularlybadtimebeforehim。Well，thatstomachtheverminpossess:theyrevelinthepungencyofthewoollymilkmushroomevenasthespurgecaterpillarbrowseswithdelightontheloathsomeleavesoftheeuphorbiae。Asforus，wemightaswell，ineithercase，eatlivecoals。

Isacondimentofthiskindnecessarytothegrubs？Notatall。

Here，inthesamepinewoods，isthe"delicious"milkmushroom（Lactariusdeliciosus，LIN。），agloriousorange—redcrater，adornedwithconcentriczones。Ifbruised，itassumesaverdigrishue，possiblyavariantoftheindigotintpeculiartotheblue—turningboletes。Fromitsfleshlaidbarebybeingbrokenorcutoozeblood—reddrops，awell—definedcharacteristicpeculiartothismilkmushroom。Heretheviolentspicesofthewoollymilkmushroomdisappear;thefleshhasapleasanttastewheneatenraw。Nomatter:thevermindevourthemildmilkmushroomwiththesamezestwithwhichtheydevourthehorriblypepperedone。Tothemthedelicateandthestrong，theinsipidandthepepperyareallalike。

Theepithet’delicious’appliedtothemushroomwhosewoundweepstearsofbloodishighlyexaggerated。Itisedible，nodoubt，butitiscoarseeatinganddifficulttodigest。Myhouseholdrefusesitforcookingpurposes。Weprefertoputittosoakinvinegarandafterwardstouseitaswemightusepickledgherkins。Therealvalueofthismushroomislargelyoverratedthankstoatoolaudatoryepithet。

Isacertaindegreeofconsistencyrequired，tosuitthegrubs:

somethingmidwaybetweenthesoftnessoftheamanitasandthefirmnessofthemilkmushrooms？Letusbeginbyquestioningtheolivetreeagaricorluminousmushroom（Pleurotusphosphoreus，BATT。），amagnificentmushroomcoloredjujubered。Itspopularnameisnotparticularlyappropriate。True，itfrequentlygrowsatthebaseofoldolivetrees，butIalsopickitatthefootofthebox，theholmoak，theplumtree，thecypress，thealmondtree，theGuelderroseandothertreesandshrubs。Itseemsfairlyindifferenttothenatureofthesupport。AmoreremarkablefeaturedistinguishesitfromalltheotherEuropeanmushrooms:itisphosphorescent。Onthelowersurfaceandthereonly，itshedsasoft，whitegleam，similartothatoftheglowworm。Itlightsuptocelebrateitsnuptialsandtheemissionofitsspores。Thereisnoquestionofchemist’sphosphorushere。Thisisaslowcombustion，asortofmoreactiverespirationthanusual。Theluminousemissionisextinguishedintheunbreathablegases，nitrogenandcarbonicacid;itcontinuesinaeratedwater;itceasesinwaterdeprivedofitsairbyboiling。Itisexceedinglyfaint，however，somuchsothatitisnotperceptibleexceptinthedeepestdarkness。Atnightandevenbyday，iftheeyeshavebeenpreparedforitbyapreliminarywaitinthedarknessofacellar，thisagaricisawonderfulsight，lookingindeedlikeapieceofthefullmoon。

Nowwhatdothevermindo？Aretheydrawnbythisbeacon？Innowise:maggots，caterpillarsandslugsnevertouchtheresplendentmushroom。Letusnotbetooquicktoexplainthisrefusalbythenoxiouspropertiesoftheolivetreeagaric，whichissaidtobeextremelypoisonous。Here，infact，onthepebblygroundofthewastelands，istheeryngoagaric（Pleurotuseryngii，D。C。），whichhasthesameconsistencyastheother。ItistheberigoulooftheProvencaux，oneofthemosthighlyesteemedmushrooms。Well，theverminwillhavenoneofit:whatisatreattousisdetestabletothem。

Itissuperfluoustocontinuethismethodofinvestigation:thereplywouldbeeverywherethesame。Theinsect，whichfeedsononesortofmushroomandrefusesothers，cannottellusanythingaboutthekindsthataregoodorbadforus。Itsstomachisnotours。

Itpronouncesexcellentwhatwefindpoisonous;itpronouncespoisonouswhatwethinkexcellent。Thatbeingso，whenwearelackinginthebotanicalknowledgewhichmostofushaveneithertimenorinclinationtoacquire，whatcoursearewetotake？Thecourseisextremelysimple。

DuringthethirtyyearsandmorethatIhavelivedatSerignan，I

haveneverheardofonecaseofmushroompoisoning，eventhemildest，inthevillage;andyetthereareplentyofmushroomseatenhere，especiallyinautumn。Notafamilybut，whenonawalkinthemountains，gathersapreciousadditiontoitsmodestalimentaryresources。Whatdothesepeoplegather？Alittleofeverything。Often，whenramblingintheneighboringwoods，I

inspectthebasketsofthemushroompickers，whoaredelightedformetolook。Iseethingsfittomakemycologicalexpertsstandaghast。Ioftenfindthepurplebolete，whichisclassedamongthedangerousvarieties。Imadetheremarkoneday。Themancarryingthebasketstaredatmeinastonishment:’Thatapoison！Thewolf’sbread！’hesaid，pattingtheplumpboletewithhishand。’Whatanidea！It’sbeefmarrow，sir，regularbeefmarrow！’[Author’snote:

Peopleusethemindiscriminatelyforcookingpurposes，afterremovingthetubesontheunderside，whichareeasilyseparatedfromtherestofthemushroom。]

Hesmiledatmyapprehensionsandwentawaywithapooropinionofmyknowledgeinthematterofmushrooms。

Inthebasketsaforesaid，Ifindtheringedagaric（Armillariamellea，FRIES），whichisstigmatizedasvaldevenenatusbyPersoon，anexpertonthesubject。Itiseventhemushroommostfrequentlymadeuseof，becauseofitsbeingsoplentiful，especiallyatthefootofthemulberrytrees。IfindtheSatanicbolete，thatdangeroustempter;thebeltedmilkmushroom（Lactariuszonarius，BULL。），whoseburningflavorrivalsthepepperofitswoollykinsman;thesmooth—headedamanita（Amanitaleiocophala，D。C。），amagnificentwhitedomerisingoutofanamplevolvaandfringedattheedgeswithflouryrelicsresemblingflakesofcasein。Itspoisonoussmellandsoapyaftertasteshouldleadtosuspicionofthisivorydome;butnobodyseemstomindthem。

How，withsuchcarelesspicking，areaccidentsavoided？Inmyvillageandforalongwayaround，theruleistoblanchthemushrooms，thatistosay，tobringthemtotheboilinwaterwithalittlesaltinit。Afewrinsingsincoldwaterconcludethetreatment。Theyarethenpreparedinwhatevermanneronepleases。

Inthisway，whatmightatfirstbedangerousbecomesharmless，becausethepreliminaryboilingandrinsinghaveremovedthenoxiouselements。

Mypersonalexperienceconfirmstheefficacyofthisrusticmethod。

Athome，weveryoftenmakeuseoftheringedagaric，whichisreputedextremelydangerous。Whenrenderedwholesomebytheordealofboilingwater，itbecomesadishofwhichIhavenaughtbutgoodtosay。Thenagainthesmooth—headedamanitafrequentlyappearsuponmytable，afterbeingdulyboiled:ifitwerenotfirsttreatedinthisfashion，itwouldbehardlysafe。Ihavetriedtheblue—turningboletes，especiallythepurpleboleteandtheSatanic。

Theyansweredverywelltotheeulogistictermofbeefmarrowappliedtothembythemushroompickerwhoscoutedmyprudentcounsels。Ihavesometimesemployedthemottledamanita，soillfamedinthebooks，withoutdisastrousresult。Oneofmyfriends，adoctor，towhomIcommunicatedmyideasabouttheboilingwatertreatment，thoughtthathewouldmaketheexperimentonhisownaccount。Hechosethelemon—yellowamanita，whichhasasbadareputationasthemottledvariety，andateitatsupper。

Everythingwentoffwithouttheslightestinconvenience。Another，ablindfriend，inwhosecompanyIwasonedaytotastetheCossusoftheRomanepicures，treatedhimselftotheolivetreeagaric，saidtohesoformidable。Thedishwas，ifnotexcellent，atleastharmless。

Itresultsfromthesefactsthatagoodpreliminaryboilingisthebestsafeguardagainstaccidentsarisingfrommushrooms。Iftheinsect，devouringonespeciesandrefusinganother，cannotguideusinanyway，atleastrusticwisdom，thefruitoflongexperience，prescribesaruleofconductwhichisbothsimpleandefficacious。

Youaretemptedbyabasketfulofmushrooms，butyoudonotfeelverysureastotheirgoodorevilproperties。Thenhavethemblanched，wellandthoroughlyblanched。Whenitleavesthepurgatoryofthestewpan，thedoubtfulmushroomcanbeeatenwithoutfear。

Butthis，youwilltellme，isasystemofcookeryfitforsavages:

thetreatmentwithboilingwaterwillreducethemushroomstoamash;itwilltakeawayalltheirflavorandalltheirsucculence。

Thatisacompletemistake。Themushroomstandstheordealexceedinglywell。IhavedescribedmyfailuretosubduethecepeswhenIwastryingtoobtainanextractfromthem。Prolongedboiling，withtheaidofbicarbonateofsoda，sofarfromreducingthemtoamess，leftthemverynearlyintact。Theothermushroomswhosesizeentitlesthemtoculinaryconsiderationofferthesamedegreeofresistance。Inthesecondplace，thereisnolossofsucculenceandhardlyanyofflavor。Moreover，theybecomemuchmoredigestible，whichisamostimportantconditioninadishgenerallysoheavyforthestomach。Forthisreason，itisthecustom，inmyfamily，totreatthemoneandallwithboilingwater，includingeventhegloriousimperial。

IamaPhilistine，itistrue，abarbariancaringlittlefortherefinementsofcookery。Iamnotthinkingoftheepicure，butofthefrugalman，thehusbandmanespecially。IshouldconsidermyselfamplyrepaidformypersistentobservationsifIsucceededinpopularizing，howeverlittle，thewiseProvencalrecipeformushrooms，anexcellentfoodthatmakesapleasantchangefromthedishofbeansorpotatoes，whenwecanovercomethedifficultyofdistinguishingbetweentheharmlessandthedangerous。

[Recorder’snote:ModernmycologistswarnagainstFabre’sclaimthatboilingneutralizesallmushroompoisons。]

CHAPTERXIXAMEMORABLELESSON

Itakeleaveofthemushroomswithregret:therewouldbesomanyotherquestionstosolveconcerningthem！WhydothemaggotseattheSatanicboleteandscorntheimperialmushroom？Howisitthattheyfinddeliciouswhatwefindpoisonousandwhyisitthatwhatseemsexquisitetoourtasteisloathsometotheirs？Cantherebespecialcompoundsinmushrooms，alkaloids，apparently，whichvaryaccordingtothebotanicalgenus？Woulditbepossibletoisolatethemandstudytheirpropertiesfully？Whoknowswhethermedicalsciencecouldnotemploytheminrelievingourailments，evenasitemploysquinine，morphiaandotheralkaloids？Onemightinquireintothecauseoftheliquefactionofthecoprini，whichisspontaneous，andthatoftheboletes，whichisbroughtaboutbythemaggots。Dobothcasescomewithinthesamecategory？Doesthecoprinusdigestitselfbyvirtueofapepsinsimilartothemaggots’？Onewouldliketodiscovertheoxidizablesubstancethatgivestheluminousmushroomitssoft，whitelight，whichislikethebeamsofthefullmoon。Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowwhethercertainboletesturnblueowingtothepresenceofanindigowhichismoreliabletochangethandyers’indigoandwhetherthegreenoftheso—calleddeliciousmilkmushroomwhenbruisedisduetoalikecause。

Allthesepatientchemicalinvestigationswouldtemptme，iftherudimentaryequipmentofmylaboratoryandespeciallytheirrevocableflightofage—wornhopespermittedit。Thedayhaspassedforitnow;thereisnotimelefttome。Nomatter:letustalkchemistryoncemore，foralittlewhile;and，forwantofsomethingbetter，letusreviveoldmemories。Ifthehistorian，nowandagain，takesasmallplaceinthestoryofhisanimals，thereaderwillkindlyexcusehim:oldageispronetothesereminiscences，thebloomoflaterdays。