Whenever a fungus is pleasant, in flavour and odour, it may be
considered wholesome; if, on the contrary, it have an offensive smell,
a bitter, astringent, or styptic taste, or even if it leave an
unpleasant flavour in the mouth, it should not be considered fit for
food. The colour, figure, and texture of these vegetables do not
afford any characters on which we can safely rely; yet it may be
remarked that in colour the pure yellow, gold colour, bluish pale,
dark or lustre brown, wine red, or the violet, belong to many that are
eatable; whilst the pale or sulphur yellow, bright or blood-red, and
the greenish belong to few but the poisonous. The safe kinds have most
frequently a compact, brittle texture; the flesh is white; they grow
more readily in open places, such as dry pastures and waste lands,
than in places humid or shaded by wood. In general, those should be
suspected which grow in caverns and subterranean passages, on animal
matter undergoing putrefaction, as well as those whose flesh is soft
or watery.