214 MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS PLANTS 



ous to suppose that one knows, when one does not know. It 

 is indeed hardly safe for one who has not had good botanical 

 training to depend upon even accurate pictures and descrip- 

 tions of mushrooms ; and it is decidedly unsafe for the average 

 person to rely upon information gained from popular writings 

 upon edible fungi. Not a few cases of poisoning within 

 recent years have been traced to the misstatements in, or the 

 misunderstanding of, attractive books or magazine articles 

 on the subject. Another fertile source of danger is belief 

 m the so-called rules "for telhng a mushroom from a toad- 

 stool," such for example as the oft-repeated saying that a 

 piece of silver placed in contact with mushrooms that are 

 being cooked will turn black if they are poisonous. This and 

 all similar rules are worse than worthless for not only is one 

 led by them to regard as poisonous many edible forms, but 

 some of the deadliest species might be called edible. Nothing 

 less than thorough acquaintance with all the botanical char- 

 acters which distinguish our common species at different 

 ages can be relied upon to enable a person to tell the differ- 

 ence between edible and poisonous mushrooms. There are 

 no short cuts to such knowledge. The only really safe way 

 for a beginner to learn about mushrooms with a view to eating 

 them, is to be instructed by an expert botanist, in the field, 

 or from fresh specimeUvS. Until the student has learned 

 the art of observing accurately he should distrust his own 

 ability to determine specimens as edible with the aid of books 

 alone. Meanwhile, it is desirable that he should learn some- 

 thing about our two most poisonous species since the majority 

 of fatal cases have been due to eating specimens of these or 

 closely similar forms. The most deadly of all fungi is the 

 death-cup (Fig. 205). Its name is derived from the fact 

 that the stalk is enveloped at its base by a cup. Beware of 

 any toadstool having such a cup. As the fungus presents an 

 especially attractive appearance and has a pleasant flavor 

 it has tempted many persons to their death. The symptoms 

 of poisoning do not appear for a number of hours after the 

 fungus has been eaten, and by that time so much of the poison 

 has been absorbed into the system that recovery is hardly 

 possible. Scarcely less poisonous, but more common is the 



