78 Rhodora [April 



a troop of yearling heifers, that watched me inquisitively. From 

 admiring them my eyes strayed to the ground and fell on some 

 truly superb buttons — they can be superb - — of Amanita muscaria. 

 I dug one up, cut it, pointed out its characteristics to a companion, 

 and tossed it to the ground again — right under the nose of a black 

 heifer, that had come closer than the others — no doubt hoping for 

 salt. She sniffed at the Amanita, put her tongue to it and then to my 

 surprise ate it as she would an apple. I was a little alarmed, but on 

 second thought, seeing that the mischief was done, it seemed a pity 

 not to make the experiment more conclusive. So I tossed her a 

 second button, which she ate as readily as she had the first. Noth- 

 ing remained but to wait, or to look for a dead heifer next day. 

 Meanwhile her companions, would serve as a "control." Next day 

 the black heifer was as well as ever, and again sniffing for salt — or 

 for more Amanita. It was perhaps neglectful not to have stayed by 

 her during the hours immediately following her luncheon. Then I 

 should have been able to say whether she suffered any inconvenience. 

 But she certainly was unharmed. If any one wishes to repeat this 

 experiment, I may remark, for his guidance, that mine was made 

 without the knowledge of the owner of the heifer. 



Other animals are known to eat fungi. In Gentry's "Intelligence 

 in Plants and Animals" — not a profoundly scientific work — is an 

 excellent photograph (opposite page 200) of a box turtle that has 

 been feeding on what looks like a Boletus. The picture is a counter- 

 part of what I once saw somewhere on Cape Cod. At the edge of 

 some low woods, I came suddenly on a box turtle that had just taken 

 a bite from the pileus of a fresh Amanitopsis vaginata. At least 

 1 so inferred from the shape of the bite, and from the attitude of the 

 turtle. In the hope that he would take another mouthful, I watched 

 him for some time, but in vain. My patience was exhausted before 

 he stirred, or even altered the pose of his extended head. Numer- 

 ous observers can, I believe, attest the fact, and one has told me that 

 he lias seen these turtles eat poisonous species. 



Whether any use of fungi is made by birds I cannot say from 

 personal observation ; but I am told by an ornithologist of experience 

 that he has never seen birds eating toadstools. Yet I have seen 

 toadstools with the marks of the bills of birds, but they may have 

 been after insects. I have, however, a record of one instance given 

 me by an observer who vouches for the truth of it. His curiosity 



