﻿OF 
  BRITISH 
  FUNGI. 
  61 
  

  

  distinguish 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  all 
  its 
  congeners. 
  Its 
  flesh 
  

   is 
  soft 
  and 
  savoury, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  eaten 
  without 
  fear 
  of 
  

   unpleasant 
  consequences. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  already 
  hinted 
  at 
  the 
  poisonous 
  character 
  

   of 
  some 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  genus. 
  As 
  an 
  example 
  we 
  

   might 
  refer 
  to 
  one 
  which 
  fortunately 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  with 
  us 
  (R. 
  emetica), 
  and 
  which, 
  could 
  we 
  forget 
  

   its 
  character, 
  would 
  commend 
  itself 
  by 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  its 
  

   colours 
  and 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  their 
  shades. 
  Although 
  red 
  

   is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  tint, 
  this 
  sometimes 
  fades 
  

   into 
  pink, 
  or 
  deepens 
  into 
  purple. 
  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   pilens 
  is 
  smooth 
  and 
  shining, 
  and 
  the 
  flesh 
  beneath 
  — 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  broad 
  gills 
  and 
  solid 
  stem 
  — 
  white. 
  Many 
  

   are 
  the 
  stories 
  of 
  disasters 
  recorded 
  from 
  the 
  inadvertent 
  

   indulgence 
  in 
  the 
  Emetic 
  Agaric, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   termed, 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  fragment 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  unpleasant 
  sensations, 
  and 
  establish 
  its 
  claims 
  to 
  

   its 
  specific 
  name. 
  It 
  is 
  questionable 
  whether 
  any 
  

   amount 
  of 
  culinary 
  preparation 
  will 
  remove 
  all 
  its 
  poi- 
  

   sonous 
  properties, 
  notwithstanding 
  that 
  the 
  acrid 
  juices 
  

   of 
  many 
  plants 
  are 
  of 
  so 
  volatile 
  a 
  nature 
  that 
  they 
  

   may 
  often 
  be 
  dispelled 
  by 
  heat, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   root 
  of 
  the 
  Mandioca 
  plant 
  of 
  Brazil, 
  from 
  whence 
  tapioca 
  

   is 
  prepared. 
  A 
  figure 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  our 
  

   plate 
  (PI. 
  13), 
  which 
  represents 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  colour 
  in 
  

   the 
  pileus 
  most 
  usually 
  encountered. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  also 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  

   genus 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  equally 
  dangerous, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   more 
  common 
  ; 
  so 
  that, 
  under 
  all 
  circumstances, 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  more 
  advisable 
  to 
  reject 
  all, 
  than 
  risk 
  any, 
  unless 
  the 
  

  

  