Edward Moor published his “Suffolk Words and Phrases” in 1823, and Robert Forby published “The Vocabulary of East Anglia” in 1830. Both these works were republished by David & Charles in 1970. They contain entries on fungi of great charm, which may be unknown to SNS members. The following extracts (giving the original spellings) might be of interest. “EM” indicates an extract from Edward Moor and “RF” one from Robert Forby. The local names used in other areas, although often of considerable interest, are not given here.

(EM) BULL-FIEST, the puff ball Lycoperdon. Bull fiest, the German ‘boifist’, and the ‘bovista’ of Dilleniusatre derived from the idea that gave rise to the old name of Crepitus lupi, on which Lycoperdon is so far an improvement as being less intelligible. It is the L. giganteum that we are now considering. It is esteemed of efficacy in cases of haemorrhage: and from seeing it hung in stables, it may perhaps, like a stone with a hole in it, have some occult virtue.

(RF) BULL-FIEST, the common puff-ball; Lycoperdon bovista Lin. It is called crepitus lupiu by Parkinson and Baufist by Bauhin, whence came the words ‘lycoperdon’ and ‘bovista’.
(Today we recognise several species of Lycoperdon, and Bovista is used as a generic name. Both authors try and avoid saying the fungus was called ‘Bull fart’. Perhaps we should not use the old name but use ‘Puff ball’ today).

(RF) FAIRY-BUTTER, a species of tremella, of yellowish colour and gelatinous substance, not very rarely found on furze and broom. Brockett’s Glossary describes it as growing about the roots of old trees. This must be some other species; probably what is called witch’s butter, of coarser texture and colour, by no means so suitable to those delicate beings the fairies, as that which we name after them.
(Common names always present problems. Roger Phillips calls Tremella mesenterica Retz., a mass of soft, gelatinous yellow folds on dead deciduous wood, ‘Yellow Brain Fungus’, and Exidia glandulosa Fr., much harder, brown gelatinous lumps on dead deciduous wood, ‘Witches’ Butter’. Both species are found in Suffolk, but T. mesenterica is more common).

(RF) FAIRY RINGS, circles or parts of circles in the grass, distinguished by darker colour and ranker growth, in which, as many believed of old, and some believe still, the fairies were wont to dance. In our country, they are most observable where the grass is short and fine; and the circular parts are distinguishable by the abundant growth of a small esculent and well flavoured fungus, called the fairy-ring mushroom, Agarics orcades, Lin.

(EM) FARRISEE. Pronounced like Pharisee – a Fairy. The green circlets in pastures we call Farrisee-rings.
(The common name of the fungus associated with fairy-rings is now Marasmius oreades Fr. I think them worth eating, if there are enough of them, as they are usually only 4cm across or less, but they dry well. Recognition is fairly easy. It is buff and has broadly-spaced gills and a large umbo. However, make sure you can distinguish it from Clitocybe rivulosa, which is common in grass and of similar size but deadly poisonous! The formation of fairy-rings is complex. John Ramsbottom in “Mushrooms and Toadstools” (New Naturalist) devotes 15 pages to the subject. Many different fungi grow in circles, the mycelium extending from a central point. Where there is a bare circle bordered by dark green grass the advancing mycelium has consumed organic material in the soil, proteins were partly absorbed and ammonia released eventually to form nitrates, i.e. fertilizer, producing the dark green outer zone. The inner dark zone was produced when the mycelium died off. Ammonia was formed from the dead fungal matter and dead grass by bacteria and other bacteria built it up into nitrates, again functioning as fertilizer.)

(RF) CAPS, all sorts of fungi

(RF) TOAD’S-CAP, Minsh. gives a name of a fungus from one of the Northern languages, which he translates “bufonis pileolus”. Toad-stool is the word in general use. The two words are respectively and equally well adapted to different species of fungi. The broad, stout, low, agarics and boleti might serve the toad for a safe and suitable seat. The lighter agarics, clathri, pezizae etc which he would crush in a moment by attempting to sit upon them might serve him for a cap, were not many of them too fine in texture, too elegant in form, and too beautiful in colour to be suitable to his ugly figure. Most however, if not all are poisonous, and in that respect they would accord better.
(Cap is still used today as part of a common name, e.g. ‘Death Cap’, Amanita phalloides etc. And ‘Ink Cap’, Coprinus comatus Gray).

One cannot but feel a little sad that we no longer write scientific works in this way.