Bitter Tube-Mushroom. [Fig. 29.]
(Boletus felleus.)617.
Said to be rare, but generally abundant in Epping Forest. I have found it in abundance in Nottinghamshire, and know it well; it was the first Boletus I ever drew, and I was then nearly eating it for Boletus edulis.
The bitter taste of B. felleus, the flesh-coloured tubes, the flesh-colour of the top when broken, the reticulated stem, and the pink spores are the distinguishing marks of this species. It is poisonous.
False Champignon. [Fig. 30.]
(Marasmius urens.)550.
The more slender habit, the mealy stem, white downy base, and the narrower, darker, and crowded gills, distinguish this counterfeit from the true champignon ([fig. 28, Edible Sheet]). It sometimes accompanies the latter plant, but with ordinary care can be detected in a moment. It grows in woods, as well as in pastures and by roadsides.
I think I was once poisoned by it in Bedfordshire. I well remember, on my way home late one evening, gathering a quantity of champignons for supper; and as it was dark, I imagine I must have gathered both species. I did not cook them myself, neither did I examine them after they were taken from the basket; but I noticed at supper-time that they were unusually hot, and I thought the old woman who cooked them had put too much pepper into the stew. I never suspected the fungi.