THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 63 



trouble. The principal poisonous substance found in the 

 fly mushroom is an alkaloid nained muscarine and its 

 effects are fought with another poison, atropine, in sub- 

 cutaneous injections. 



Notwithstanding its poisonous properties this species 

 has often been used as food in France and Russia and 

 cases are on record where it has been eaten w^ithout ill 

 effects in our own country. On the other hand it isusally 

 concerned in the fatal cases of mushroom poisoning and 

 the Czar Alexis of Russia is said to have died from eating 

 it. From these facts it has been questioned whether the 

 poisonous properties may not be due in part to the soil in 

 which it grows. It gets its specific name of muscaria from 

 a Latin word meaning fly because it is attractive and 

 poisonous to these insects. Dr. Peck says he has seen a 

 a circle of dead flies surrounding one of the plants where 

 thej^ had fallen after tasting the moist surface of the cap. 



The natives of Northern Russia and Siberia are said to 

 make a curious use of this species. Dried specimens are 

 steeped in whortleberry juice to form an intoxicating 

 liquor, which when taken causes a sort of hilarious condi- 

 tion in which the subject performs many amusing antics. 



The fly mushroon may be found from June until late in 

 October, and is probably the commonest of the poisonous 

 species. There are several other poisonous species in the 

 genus Amanita and curiously enough several more that 

 are edible and highly valued as food. 



Colored plates of this species may be found in the fol- 

 lowing works. Atkinson's "Mushrooms Edible and Poi- 

 sonous" Plate 1 ; Peck's "Forty-eighth Report of the New 

 York State Museum" Plate 42; Taylor's "Mushrooms of 

 America" Plate 15; MarshaU's "Mushroom Book" Plate 

 3; and Mcllvaines "One Thousand American Fungi" 

 Plate 6. 



