analog of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and like GABA 
inhibits neurotransmission in the central nervous system (29). 
These compounds also occur in Amanita pantherina (30), A. 
cothurnata Atkinson (31), as well as in hybrids of A. gemmata 
(Fr.) Gill and A. pantherina. 
Amanita cothurnata, which does not occur in the Pacific 
Northwest, is not used as a recreational intoxicant, but both 
the fly and panther Amanitas are so used. In North America, 
the panther fungus contains higher concentrations of ibotenic 
acid and muscimol than the fly agaric (30) and is preferred by 
users in the Pacific Northwest who have tried both species. 
Many mushroom books still call A. pantherina a deadly 
species, and most mycologists are horrified to hear of people 
eating it deliberately for enjoyment. Amanita gemmata, witha 
yellow cap, is an inactive species but is said to hybridize readily 
with A. pantherina, producing mushrooms of intermediate 
color and activity. Doubtless many persons who have learned 
to eat the panther fungus unknowingly collect and eat these 
hybrids as well, which may account for some of the variation of 
response to ingestion of this mushroom. 
Little sophistication is necessary to recognize fly agarics. 
They are striking mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest in the 
fall, often one of the largest and brightest colored species in 
conifer forests. Truly giant forms occur in southwestern Ore- 
gon near the coast, in Coos and Curry Counties. The ease of 
collecting fly agarics is in sharp contrast to the difficulty of 
learning to recognize the unspectacular psilocybin-containing 
species in this region of North America. Consequently, many 
users Of Amarita muscaria are unfamiliar with Psilocybe and 
Panaeolus and have never tried them. In fact, none of the 
Amanita eaters whom | interviewed in Oregon and Washington 
in 1973 had ever eaten local psilocybin mushrooms. 
Psilocybin mushroom hunters, on the other hand, are often 
familiar with the fly and panther Amanitas but tend to regard 
them as toxic and dangerous. This belief may reflect the fact 
that psilocybin mushroom hunters in the Pacific Northwest 
have usually learned to collect from mycologically trained 
persons, such as university graduate students, and these 
people tend to be biased against experimentation with 
Amanitas. In any case, I have noted repeatedly that Amanita 
eaters are a distinct group from psilocybin eaters. For example, 
they are often older and less directly affiliated with the coun- 
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