ESCULENT FUNGI. 



335 



Champignons Agaricus pratensis. 



the common mushroom, and therefore is, in itself, to 

 be looked upon with some suspicion. There is, how- 

 ever, another circumstance which renders the eating 

 of this mushroom unsafe. On the upper surface 

 it very much resembles the most poisonous of all 

 the toad-stools, agaricus virosus, and they both 

 grow in similar situations. The gills of the poison- 

 ous fungus are, however, broader, in proportion to 

 the size of the plant, than in the champignon, and 

 they are very dark-coloured, or black. The fleshy 

 part of the cap is also thinner, and there is a collar 

 on the stem of the poisonous one, while that of the 

 champignon is naked. Many of the different species 

 of agaricus are, however, so similar to each other, 

 some being wholesome, while others are highly 

 noxious, that persons who are not perfectly familiar 

 with all their respective characteristics should hesitate 



