216 CORRESPONDENCE. 
this one. I had the same day seen a drawing of Agaricus giganteus, and 
thought the species gathered was the same, but did not refer to Berkeley, or I 
I should at once have seen my error. The upper part of the Fungus was pre- 
pared for luncheon, the stem and even part of the pileus thrown away. There 
eed 
found them of a high order. When cooked there was not more than half an 
ounce at most; of this I ate perhaps one-half, or quarter of an ounce, my 
wife two or three very small pieces, and one of my children (two years old) just 
as poisonous or even suspicious! It so happened that morning that I had 
T audis nothing of the Fungus. By the time I reached rn Street, 
odour. No sooner had I left Billiter ppan than my headache became 
much worse, ipid anied by an unpleasant s g =e whilst two 
or three sharp pains shot through my stom ie By range proc 
of reasoning Inow attributed my EM iuh: to the stench in s Die Bises 
tain 
g with ev 
When I reached the station my head was Sia and my brain swimming to 
such an extent that I could hardly walk, while everything about me appeared 
to be moving with death-like stillness either from side to side, up and down, 
or round and round. I staggered into a ca hed home in twenty 
minutes, so ill that I could hardly place one i vk before the other, with the 
ug! 
ere was no emen to vomiting. I knocked at my door with the deter- 
mination of going to bed directly, sending for the doctor, and making up 
my mind for a severe attack of brain or some other fever; and all this time 
T had never once thought about the Fungus. There was some delay in answer- 
ing the knocks. The door was opened, however, in a few minutes by my wife, 
"cimi apparently in the last stage of existence (Mrs. Smith being too 
prostrated to hold her own child), while the servant had been sent out for ves 
