172 POISONOUS PLANTS 



these the Death Cup and Fly Amanita, Water 

 and Poison Hemlock will stand first, second, third 

 and fourth, Jimson Weed fifth, as poisonous plants 

 that are eaten from their resemblance to edible 

 species of their various families, and which there- 

 fore are more to be feared than those plants eaten 

 through a momentary attraction of fruit, or from 

 the careless habit of chewing random leaves and 

 twigs. 



The Fly Amanita and the Death Cup (Ama- 

 nita pballoides) are primarily among the most con- 

 spicuous as well as the most deadly of fungi. The 

 majority of the family are fatally poisonous, and 

 every year sees the list lengthened of those who 

 have died from eating some member of it. 



In spite of Hamilton Gibson's delightful book 

 upon "Edible Fungi" and Professor G. F. Atkin- 

 son's recent exhaustive "Studies of American Fungi, 

 Mushrooms Edible, Poisonous," etc., I would cau- 

 tion the novice to content himself with gathering 

 the common Meadow Mushroom only. This is 

 easy to place, with its nutty odor, white or slightly 

 smoky top; pink to brown gills, according to the 

 freshness of the plant, and a stem dwindling just 

 below ground, and NEVER set in a cup- like socket. 

 I should advise him to let all other fungi entirely 



