320 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



"If one did not pay attention to these slight dif- 

 ferences, one would commit a very fatal error. The 

 first mushroom is a delicious viand; the second, or 

 false orange-agaric, is a deadly poison. " 



"I am no longer surprised, " said Jules, "at your 

 telling Simon that it is impossible for us, without 

 long study, to distinguish the good from the bad 

 kinds. Here are two mushrooms almost as much 

 alike as two drops of water : one kills, the other is 

 excellent. ' ' 



"Not a year passes without its lamentable cases 

 of poisoning, from a confusion of the two kinds. 

 Remember carefully their characteristics, so as not 

 to expose yourself some day to a terrible mistake. ' ' 



"I will be very careful not to forget them/' Jules 

 promised. "Both orange-agarics are orange-red 

 and have a white volva or bag. The eatable 

 orange-agaric has yellow gills; the poisonous one, 

 white gills." 



"Besides," added Emile, "the poisonous orange- 

 agaric has numerous shreds of white skin on the 

 cap." 



"Look at this other that I picked from the trunk 

 of a tree. It is a large, dark-red boletus. It has no 

 stalk. It fastens itself to old trunks by one of its 

 sides. It is called the tinder-agaric boletus, be- 

 cause its flesh, cut in thin slices, dried in the sun, 

 and made flexible by hammering, makes tinder." 



"I did not dream that tinder came from a mush- 

 room," said Jules. 



"The truffle is the most important of eatable 

 mushrooms. It grows under-ground, like the myce- 



