4 Mycological Bulletin No. 85 [Vol. VI 



SUPT. HARD'S NEW BOOK ON MUSHROOMS 



AN ADVANCE RE\'IE\V EY W. A. KELEERMANN. 



Now comes forth an announcement of a new book on 

 Mushrooms by that mushroom-hunter, mushroom-eater, mush- 

 room-writer, as it were, mushroom-fiend — but we have seen the 

 AISS., and the pictures, and can quiet the mushroom pubUc by 

 saying that the book is all right. In natural history no one is 

 "authority" — each one thinks for himself, speaks for himself ; 

 it is the plan we here adopt to give a single description of Mr. 

 Hard's, and a few sample illustrations, which his publishers have 

 kindl}' allowed me to use in advance. We take at random a 

 description, say of Amanita mappa, and it will appear as fol- 

 lows in the new book : 



"AMANITA MAPPA Fr. The Delicate Amanita. Pois- 

 onous. 



"Mappa means a napkin ; so-called from the volva. 



"The pileus is two to three inches broad, convex, then ex- 

 panded, plane, obtuse or depressed, without separable cuticle ; 

 margin nearly even ; white or yellowish, usually with patches of 

 the volva, dry. 



"The gills are adnexed, close, narrow, shining, white. 



"The stem is two to three inches long, stuffed, then hollow, 

 cylindrical, nearly smooth, bulbous, nearly globose at the base, 

 white, almost equal above the bulb. 



"The volva with its free margin is acute and narrow. The 

 ring is membranaceous, superior, soft, lax, ragged. 



"Its color is quite as variable and its habits are much like 

 A. phalloides, from which it can only be distinguished by its less 

 developed volva which, instead of l)eing cup-shaped, is little 

 more than a mere rim fringing the bulb. The odor at times is 

 very strong. It is found in open woods and under brush. Label 

 it poisonous." 



Those interested to know more about this ])ublicatlon, Mush- 

 rooms Edible and Othcncisc, and to place orders at once, are 

 referred to the author (Su])t. M. I-:. Hard, Chillicothe, ().), but 

 it may be added that it will be very comprehensive, describing 

 and figuring ])racticall\- all the mushrooms any one can find in 

 this country; also explaining the structure of the ])lants, the de- 

 scriptive terms used, classification; giving keys and directions 

 for study, a glossarv. reci])cs for cooking, and a chapter on I'ul- 

 ture f)f Mushrooms. 



The figures wc use in this number of the r>ui-i.i:TiN, taken 

 troin the book now in jjress, are as follows: 



iMg. 277. Amanita mappa. Poisonous. Natural size. 

 See description quoted above. 



