the shape of the deadly Amanita. It is umbrella- 

 shaped, moderately long-stemmed, regularly 

 gilled, and without a "cup" or bulge at the 

 root, rather pointed instead. It is a rich brick- 

 brown or red at the center of the cap, shading 

 off lighter toward the circumference. The gills 

 in fresh young specimens are a light drab, turn- 

 ing black later with the black spores. It comes 

 in September, and lasts until the heavy snows 

 fall, growing rarely anywhere but in the woods 

 upon oak stumps. I have found a few scattering 

 individuals among the trees, and I took two out 

 of my lawn one autumn. But oak-trees had 

 stood in the lawn until a few years before, and 

 enough of their roots still remained to furnish 

 a host for the mushrooms. A stump sometimes 

 will be covered with them, cap over cap, tier 

 crowding tier so closely that no particle of the 

 stump is seen. This colony life is characteristic. 

 I have more than once gathered half a peck of 

 edible specimens from a single stump. 



The most inexperienced collector, when brick - 



top has been pointed out to him, can hardly take 



any other mushroom by mistake. It is strange, 



however, that this delicious, abundant, and per- 



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