104 EDIBLE AND POISONOUS MUSHROOMS. 



odour, and is in all respects uninviting. 

 We are not at all satisfied that it is really 

 poisonous, although it is a point scarce 

 worth determining, for no one would think 

 of eating it, were it ever so harmless, and 

 it is too rare to be in any sense a public 

 danger. Flies are usually seen hovering 

 around this species, especially when in a 

 state of decay, being attracted by its some- 

 what unpleasant odour. When the gills 

 drop away in an inky mass, the flies may be 

 observed sucking it up. It has been affirmed 

 that by such means the spores of this and 

 other species are disseminated, so that for 

 the perpetuation of the species they are 

 indebted to the intermediation of flies, 

 through whose bodies the spores themselves 

 pass uninjured. 



