19 



To the lirst of these subdivisioiiH, I'iperltex, bcloug all of the LacliirH 

 enumerated above. The Kussians eat the Pi])eriteH only after the water 

 of the first boiling has been taken oil'. 



Lactarius rufus Scoj)., a very acrid species of large size, havinj^ reddish 

 ocbraceous prills and zoneless cap of reddish yellow witli white milk, 

 belongs to the subdivision Russulares. Common in tir woods. Dangerous. 



Lactarius voloniis Fiies, a tawny yellow-capped mushroom with white 

 gills changing to a yellowish hue, and cojnous moect white milk, belongs 

 also to the latter subdivision. Edible. 



Russula (Fragiles) emetica Fries. Cap fleshy, at first convex, then 

 expanded or depressed, smooth, polished, red, margin sulcate : gills free, 

 equal and broad, white ; stem solid but somewhat spongy in the center, 

 smooth, short, stoutish, white or stained reddish ; flesh white, sometimes 

 slightly tinted red, under the thin red cuticle. The cap of this mush- 

 room varies from a deep rich crimson to a pale pinkish red, being very 

 subject to atmospheric changes. Specimens are often found with the 

 cap washed almost white after heavy rains, or with but a slight red si)ot 

 in the center. The gills and spores are pure white, and the flesh pepj^ery 

 to the taste. If tasted when raw the juice should not be swallowed. 



The variety Cliisii has a blood-red cap, pallid yellowish gills, adnexed, 

 becoming adnate. Spores white. In woods. Acrid. The variety fallax 

 is fragile, with dingy reddish pileus and adnexed, distant, whitish gills. 



Besides the above mentioned, there are other acrid Russulas and Lac- 

 tars which are regarded with suspicion, though not as yet satisfactorily 

 tested. 



Poisonous Boleti. 



Several of the Boleti have the reputation of being poisonous or delete- 

 rious, among them Boletus lufldas^^olainH Satanas, SLud Boletus fellei/.s. 

 Robert's analysis of B. luridus shows the presence of the poisonous alka- 

 loid muscarin in this mushroom, while the bitterness of B. felleus should 

 make one chary of eating it in quantity, if at all. Schmiedeberg and 

 Koppe describe experiments made with Boletus Satanas, in which the 

 symptoms experienced closely resemble those of muscarin poisoning. 



A correspondent living in Georgia, who is quite familiar with the species, 

 writes that he has frecpiently eaten the yellow form of the mitscaria, when 

 cooked, without serious inconvenience. Another correspondent writes that 

 he has eaten the species Boletus luridus and Boletus Satanas, as well as 

 several other mushrooms of poisonous repute, with perfect impunity. 



Without calling in question the testimony of persons who state that 

 they have with impunity eaten mushrooms generally found to be poison- 

 ous, it must be said that even if, through local conditions of soil or 

 climate, the poisonous constituents of such mushrooms sometimes exist 

 in comparatively minute proportions, or are neutral l::ed by an unusual 

 proportion of vins/irooin ati-ophi in the plant, or eliminated by some 

 process used in its preparation for the table, or, finally, if constitutional 



