Order Htmenomtcetes.' Tribe Pileati."^ 



Plate I. 



AGARICUS MUSCARIUS, ze... 



Fli/ Agaric. 



Gen. Char. Hymenium consisting of plates, radiating from a common centre, witli shorter ones in the interstices, 

 composed of a double closely-connected membrane, more or less distinct from the pilaus. Veil various, or absent. 



Series Leucosporus.' Subgenus Amanita.* 



Suhgen. CJiar. Amanita. Veil double ; one universal, covering the whole plant in a young state, distinct fi'om 

 the epidermis, at length burst by the protrusion of the pUeus, part remaining at the base of the stem, part either 

 falling off, or forming warts on the pileus ; the other veil partial, at first covering the gills, and afterwards fonning 

 a reflected sub-persistent ring on the top of the stipes. Stem stuffed, at length hollow, squamoso-fibriUose, 

 thickened at the base. Pileus with the disc fleshy, the margin thin, campanulate, then plane, ^^scid when moist. 

 GUIs attenuated behind, free, broader in front, ventricose, close but httle unequal. 



Spec. Char. Ag. muscarius. Pileus from three to seven inches broad, convex, depressed in age, rich scarlet 

 or occasionally buff bro^vn or whitish, studded with conical, superficial warts ; epidermis viscid when moist ; 

 margin striate. GUIs broad, ivoiy white, ventricose, free or slightly adnexed. Spores white. Stem four to 

 nine inches high, half an incli to an inch thick, stuffed, at length hollow, bulbous, the bidb scaly from the 

 remains of the volva. 



Agakicus muscarius, Linnwus, Berkeley, Sowerii/, Withering, Purton, Fittadini. 

 Amanita muscaria, Schoeffer, Persoon, Greville, Gray. 

 L'Oeonge fausse, Paulet. 



Sab. Growing on the ground, not on wood ; not soon decaying. 



" The face of the covmtiy in general is thinly-covered with stnntcd trees, having a bottom 

 of moss, mixed with low weak heath." 



Captain King is describing a favoui'ite locality of the Agaricus muscarius — the wilds of Kamtschatka — 

 and wherever a similar state of tilings prevails it may probably be found ; climate has little to do with the 

 matter, for it is a native of Italy as of Northern Russia, but where the rich loamy soil gives to our counties 

 the distinctive title of " agricultural ", this, as well as many others of the Agaric family, will be sought in 

 vain. Indeed, a general observation holds good, that the cultivation of the soil destroys these, its wild 

 children ; as the red man fades before the wliite, Funguses are obliterated by corn and potatoes. This is 

 probably a reason why Prance and Italy produce tliis tribe so abundantly ; many tracts of old forest-land in 

 both countries lie in wild neglect, wlulst in England nearly every available acre bears old furrow marks if 

 not recent ones ; so that though we may search our woods and heaths and discover nearly all the variety 

 of the south as well as the north, they are scanty in quantity like their habitats. The unfilled Highlands 

 of Scotland abound in them, and there our present subject flourishes most profusely, although frequent 

 in "West Kent and Northern England, 



' From i/xiji/, a meinbram, and \ivKr\i, & fungus. ^ Yrom pileus, a cap. 



^ From XcvKos, white, and (mopos, a seed. * From d/iai/iVm, an old Greek name for Funguses in general. 



o 



