﻿OF 
  BRITISH 
  FUNGI. 
  23 
  

  

  Curroy 
  states, 
  that 
  from 
  long 
  experience 
  he 
  can 
  vouch 
  

   for 
  its 
  being 
  not 
  only 
  wholesome, 
  but, 
  as 
  Dr. 
  Badham 
  

   says, 
  " 
  a 
  very 
  delicate 
  fungus." 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  yet 
  one 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Amanita 
  {A. 
  vagi- 
  

   nata) 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  in 
  woods 
  and 
  under 
  

   trees. 
  It 
  is 
  extremely 
  variable 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  in 
  colour. 
  

   The 
  pileus 
  is 
  thin, 
  at 
  first 
  bell-shaped, 
  and 
  ultimately 
  

   expands 
  to 
  nearly 
  a 
  plane 
  surface. 
  The 
  stem 
  is 
  hollow, 
  

   and 
  the 
  volva 
  loose. 
  The 
  free 
  gills 
  are 
  white 
  in 
  the 
  

   earlier 
  stages 
  of 
  growth. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  entirely 
  desti- 
  

   tute 
  of 
  any 
  ring. 
  Dr. 
  Greville 
  found 
  a 
  white 
  variety 
  

   of 
  this 
  species, 
  which 
  he 
  calls 
  A. 
  nivalis, 
  growing 
  on 
  

   the 
  bleak 
  summits 
  of 
  the 
  loftiest 
  Grampians, 
  where, 
  he 
  

   says, 
  " 
  it 
  enlivens 
  the 
  few 
  turfy 
  spots 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  

   those 
  desert 
  regions 
  by 
  its 
  symmetry 
  and 
  extreme 
  

   whiteness. 
  In 
  its 
  young 
  state 
  it 
  is 
  completely 
  enve- 
  

   loped 
  in 
  the 
  smooth 
  volva 
  or 
  wrapper, 
  and 
  bears 
  a 
  near 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  pigeon's 
  egg, 
  scarcely 
  rising 
  above 
  the 
  

   dark 
  moss. 
  After 
  bursting 
  from 
  its 
  confinement, 
  it 
  

   rapidly 
  advances 
  to 
  maturity, 
  uninjured 
  by 
  the 
  coldest 
  

   winds, 
  or 
  the 
  snow 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  covered, 
  

   even 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August." 
  This 
  species 
  has 
  not 
  

   only 
  enjoyed 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  being 
  esculent, 
  but 
  also 
  

   of 
  being 
  poisonous. 
  From 
  the 
  very 
  questionable 
  company 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  three 
  species 
  of 
  Amanita 
  now 
  named 
  

   are 
  found, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  conflicting 
  testimony 
  as 
  to 
  

   their 
  wholesome 
  properties, 
  we 
  conclude 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  much 
  safer 
  to 
  regard 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  grouped 
  

   under 
  that 
  name 
  as 
  suspicious, 
  and 
  not 
  to 
  collect 
  and 
  

   employ 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  Amanita 
  as 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  