This is one of the principal ornaments of our woods in summer and autumn, and is readily recognized by its thick gills, which are of a subdued but decided buff-yellow colour, and the somewhat viscid red, or pale crimson top. The stem is stout, white or rose-colour, ringless, and solid; the whole plant fleshy, and frequently very large. The gills immediately distinguish it from the emetic mushroom (fig. 21, Poisonous Sheet), as in the latter they are pure white, and always remain so; there are, too, other great differences between the two species noted in the description of the emetic mushroom. The taste of _Russula alutacea_ is particularly agreeable and mild, and, when well prepared for the table, few species prove more satisfactory to the consumer. Dr. Badham (by an error) takes some exception to it. =Furrowed Clavaria.= Fig. 7. (_Clavaria rugosa._) 827. This species, common in woody places, is usually pure white, pale grey, or shaded with cream-colour; the clubs are irregular, somewhat wrinkled and tough. Treated in the same way as _C. vermiculata_, it will prove equally acceptable, agreeable, and novel. All the white-spored species are believed to be esculent. I have not tried _C. coralloides_, an allied species, which is greatly branched, but it is esteemed as an esculent. =Chantarelle.= Fig. 8. (_Cantharellus cibarius._) 539. The chantarelle cannot be called very common, but it is abundant in many districts; its solid, ringless stem, fleshy body, thick swollen veins in the place of gills, and brilliant yellow colour, at once serve to distinguish it from every other species. “Its smell,” says Berkeley, “is like that of ripe apricots.” Sometimes (as I have frequently seen in Epping Forest and elsewhere) immense numbers grow together; at other times they are very few. Chantarelles often cover a hedge-bank where there are trees close by; and wherever they do appear they must enlist the admiration of the passer-by, for they look as if made of solid gold. When cooked, this species has a rich mushroom-like flavour peculiarly its own, and may be prepared for the table in various ways, according to the fancy of the consumer: but being big and solid, it should be cut up; and, if stewed, allowed to simmer gently, and be served with pepper, salt, and butter. There is a curious, thin, pale, slender variety, found growing in pastures about old stumps, which I have never eaten, and from its curious aspect, habitat, and comparative rarity, I think it hardly worth the experiment, but it may be esculent. There is a very pale, almost white, variety of the chantarelle, and one quite without the apricot odour. =Horse Mushroom.= Fig. 9. (_Agaricus_ [_Psalliota_] _arvensis._) 317.