MUSHROOMS, EDIBLE A'SB POISONOUS. 173 



by the untrained person. The scales upon ihe top of the pileus 

 or cap are missing at a later stage of growth, or would be rubbed 

 off by contact; it will be seen therefore that if this mushroom 

 were phicked by cutting above the volva at the base and placed 

 with edible varieties it might give no iudication of its deadly 

 character and presence ; hence the impossibilitv of accepting a 

 miscellaneous basket of mushrooms without a certificate of 

 character or an expert knowledge of what is not and cannot 

 possibly be an Amanita. The rule of safety is, all Amanitas 

 grow from a volva or sac, some of this genus are poisonous, 

 therefore gather no mushrooms growing from a volva or sac. If 

 there are scales upon the cap and a veil-like ring and the color is, 

 as we have learned it, pure white, scarlet, orange, or yellow, we 

 should look for the cup, and, as it is not always visible above the 

 ground, pass the knife below the surface, taking care to lift the 

 whole ; we shall soon learn to recognize the Amanita famil}^ at a 

 distance and keep them there. The Amanita vermis is pure white, 

 but A. muscarius is orange, yellow, or scarlet, with scales or 

 warts upon the cap, a distinct veil or ring and a volva, although 

 Mr. Gibson notes it as often absent, indicated by a mere ragged 

 line of loose, outward curved, shaggy scales around a bulbous 

 base. Captain Palmer portrays it (the volva) as quite distinct. 

 Probably both are right at different stages of growth. The 

 student should not be content with verbal description, but should 

 turn to the colored plates now available, become familiar with the 

 named varieties as exhibited, — and for that purpose the exhibitions 

 of this Society are invaluable, — and, if possible, when learning to 

 know mushrooms, he should have in the season the practical in- 

 struction of an expert friend. 



Now let us turn to a pleasanter phase of our subject, and con- 

 sider some edible species which cannot possibly be mistaken for 

 poisonous vartetics. The number of edible species is much larger 

 than is generally supposed ; upwards of two hundred have been 

 catalogued, and any mycologist should have an eating acquaintance 

 with from fifty to one hundred kinds. The plate of twelve edible 

 mushrooms from the report of the Agricultural Department for 

 1894, by Dr. Taylor, may fairly be put before the student as his 

 task for a single season. If he accomplishes this, nature will ever 

 after have a new meaning to him, and he will go forth to the fields 

 and woods with a double and quadruple interest ; his eyes will be 



