﻿22 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EASY 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  about 
  a 
  cupful, 
  become 
  as 
  much 
  intoxicated 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  

   before. 
  Confirmed 
  drunkards 
  in 
  Siberia 
  preserve 
  this 
  

   as 
  a 
  precious 
  liquor 
  in 
  case 
  a 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fungi 
  should 
  

   occur. 
  This 
  intoxicating 
  property 
  may 
  be 
  communicated 
  

   to 
  every 
  person 
  who 
  partakes 
  of 
  the 
  disgusting 
  draught, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  with 
  the 
  third, 
  fourth, 
  and 
  even 
  fifth 
  distilla- 
  

   tion. 
  By 
  this 
  means, 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  fungi 
  to 
  commence 
  

   with, 
  a 
  party 
  may 
  shut 
  themselves 
  in 
  their 
  room 
  and 
  

   indulge 
  in 
  a 
  week's 
  debauch.* 
  

  

  A 
  species 
  of 
  Amanita 
  {A. 
  strobiliformis, 
  Fr.), 
  rarely 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  woods, 
  and 
  which 
  attains 
  a 
  large 
  

   size, 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  esculent, 
  but 
  is 
  too 
  rare 
  to 
  become 
  of 
  

   any 
  importance 
  as 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  food. 
  The 
  pileus 
  is 
  

   studded 
  with 
  persistent 
  warts, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Fly 
  Amanita 
  ; 
  

   but 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  bright 
  red 
  colour 
  of 
  that 
  species, 
  in 
  

   this 
  instance 
  the 
  pileus 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  purplish 
  grey. 
  

  

  The 
  Red 
  Amanita 
  (^4. 
  rubescens. 
  Pers.) 
  is 
  also 
  gene- 
  

   rally 
  described 
  as 
  an 
  esculent 
  species. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   plant 
  becomes 
  red 
  when 
  bruised 
  or 
  rubbed, 
  a 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  distinguished. 
  It 
  is 
  

   very 
  common 
  in 
  woods, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  pileus 
  covered 
  

   with 
  scattered 
  mealy 
  warts. 
  Dr. 
  Badham 
  and 
  M. 
  Roques 
  

   include 
  this 
  amongst 
  esculent 
  species 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  assured 
  

   by 
  a 
  friend 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  who 
  experiments 
  upon 
  all 
  

   the 
  reputed 
  esculent 
  species 
  which 
  fall 
  in 
  his 
  way, 
  that 
  

   " 
  this 
  kind 
  makes 
  excellent 
  ketchup." 
  Berkeley, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding, 
  considers 
  it 
  as 
  doubtful. 
  Whilst 
  Mr. 
  

  

  * 
  Further' 
  details 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  "The 
  Seven 
  Sisters 
  of 
  

   Sleep," 
  by 
  M. 
  C. 
  Cooke, 
  pp. 
  336—345. 
  London: 
  James 
  

   Blackwood. 
  

  

  