18 MUSHKOOMS. 



Now let us dig up the shining white one. It 

 is much larger than the yellow fungus, hand- 

 some, pure-looking, with a rather slender stem. 

 The cap is nearly 4 inches across, the flesh is 

 white. The stem is long, solid, with a bulbous 

 base. There is a wide, loose ring high up on 

 the stem. The membrane around the base is 

 large and thick. The stem is scaly and shining 

 white like the cap. This pure-looking, hand- 

 some mushroom is one of the most poisonous 

 of its kind. It is called Amanita virosa — the 

 poisonous Amanita, from a Latin word meaning 

 poison. We have never found any specimen 

 with insects on it. They seem to know its 

 deadly qualities and shun its acquaintance. 



Let us look at the gray mushroom and see 

 how it differs from the others. It has no ring, its 

 color is a soft gray or mouse color, the margin 

 is deeply grooved. The cap is almost flat, the 

 flesh does not reach to the margin, and is white. 

 It is very smooth, but another time we might 

 find the same mushroom with scales upon it. 

 The cap measures 3 inches across. The stem 

 tapers upward, is slender, and is 4 inches long. 

 The gills are free, not attached to the stem, and 

 are swollen in the middle. They are not very 

 close together and are shining white. The 



