8 44 THE AGARICACEAE OP MICHIGAN 



delirium and convulsive seizures. Ocular symptoms, loss of mem- 

 ory and syncope are frequent. Gillot has collected thirty cases 

 with two deaths and Inoko, in Japan, a series of thirty-two with 

 one fatality. Recovery is usually rapid but occasionally con- 

 valescence requires fourteen days. Atkinson's Amanita cothurnata 

 may be the American representative of A. pantherina, hence both of 

 these should be avoided as esculents. A. cothurnata will poison 

 flies. A. pantherina extracts were without effect on animals but 

 only a few plants were tested. 41 



There has been in recent years a tendency to explain away too 

 many cases of minor poisoning as due to indigestion, decomposition 

 of the abundant proteid of mushrooms, or to the possible insect- 

 infection of good fungi — and to refer too many of the cases to "prob- 

 ably phalloides or muscaria." Now the rich labors of Ford and his 

 co-workers, both in the field and in the laboratory, and the results 

 of Clark, Smith and Kantor have verified certain clinical experi- 

 ences and shown us that the list of more or less poisonous species 

 must be considerably extended. Amanita phalloides and its few 

 congenors still stand quite alone, head and shoulders above all 

 others, for extreme toxicity. They are, most fortunately, not like- 

 ly to have any rivals for dangerous qualities. They have retained 

 their place easily at the head of the list of noxious species, but the 

 minor and less poisonous list has been somewhat increased. These 

 nearly all belong, in a way, to a muscaria group. It will be the 

 problem of pharmacological and biologic chemistry to show why 

 they cause such a variety of clinical disturbances. — by no means 

 explainable by "indigestion," — and yet resemble the action of mus- 

 carin. 



THE GENUS LEPIOTA 



In contrast to the genus Amanita with its very dangerous species 

 and its few safe edible forms we have in the equally large genus 

 Lepiota a number of highly prized edibles. Amanita requires close 

 discrimination to distinguish its species ; Lepiota, for the mycopho- 

 .uist, principally, that he shall not confuse its L. naucina with 

 Amanita phalloides and that he shall not mistake the black sheep of 

 the section, Lepiota morgani or green-spored Lepiota for Lepiota 

 procera, "The Parasol." L. morgani is an enticing plant and prob- 

 ably the largest Agaric in the world. It is distinctly American. This 

 fine fungus shows very consistent partiality in selecting its victims 

 for it always poisons certain individuals who try to eat it and 

 never distresses others of the same family. It is credited with at 



