22 A PLAIN AND EASY ACCOUNT 



before. Confirmed drunkards in Siberia preserve this 

 as a precious liquor in case a scarcity of fungi should 

 occur. This intoxicating property may be communicated 

 to every person who partakes pf the disgusting draught, 

 and thus with the third, fourth, and even fifth distilla- 

 tion. By this means, with a few fungi to commence 

 with, a party may shut themselves in their room and 

 indulge in a week's debauch.* 



A species of Amanita (A. strobiliformis, Fr.), rarely 

 found on the borders of woods, and which attains a large 

 size, is said to be esculent, but is too rare to become of 

 any importance as an article of food. The pileus is 

 studded with persistent warts, as in the Fly Amanita ; 

 but instead of the bright red colour of that species, in 

 this instance the pileus is of a purplish grey. 



The Red Amanita (A. rubescens, Pers.) is also gene- 

 rally described as an esculent species. The whole 

 plant becomes red when bruised or rubbed, a character- 

 istic by which it may be readily distinguished. It is 

 very common in woods, and has the pileus covered 

 with scattered mealy warts. Dr. Badham and M. Roques 

 include this amongst esculent species, and I am assured 

 by a friend in the country, who experiments upon all 

 the reputed esculent species which fall in his way, that 

 " this kind makes excellent ketchup." Berkeley, not- 

 withstanding, considers it as doubtful 



There is yet one other species of Amanita (A. vagi- 



* Further details may be found in "The Seven Sisters of 

 Sleep," by M. C. Cooke, pp. 336 345. London: James 

 Blackwood. 



