GENERA AND SPECIES OF MUSHROOMS 



woods and in open fields. However, I found several of this 

 species in a lawn distant from the woods. This should cause 

 . . , those not thoroughly familiar with the appearance of 

 the plant to be extremely cautious against eating mushrooms 

 simply because they were not collected in or near the woods. 

 The bulb of the deadly amanita is usually inserted quite deep 

 in the soil or leaf-mold, and specimens are often picked leaving 

 the very important character of the volva in the ground, and 

 then the plant might easily be taken for the common mush- 

 room, or more likely for the smooth lepiota, Lepiota naucina, 

 which is entirely white, the gills only in age showing a faint 

 pink tinge. It is very important, therefore, that until one 

 has such familiarity with these plants that they are easily 

 recognized in the absence of some of these characters, the stem 

 should be carefully dug from the soil. Atkinson, 



Poisoning by Amanita phalloides when eaten in sufficient 

 quantity was invariably fatal in spite of medical treatment 

 until recently. Dr. Dujarric de la Riviere, head of the 

 Pasteur Institute, Paris, has succeeded in preparing an 

 antitoxic serum which has saved the lives of persons who were 

 apparently fatally poisoned by this so-called "destroying 

 angel." He calls it antiphallinic serum {serum antiphallin- 

 ique). The Government of France has lately passed a law 

 requiring that each department of that nation shall keep a 

 supply of it ready for use by physicians. 



Yearly deaths in New York City from Amanita poisoning 

 vary in number but have been so high as thirty. It is to be 

 hoped that the new method of treatment may soon be avail- 

 able in this country. 



Amanita rubescens; Venenarius rubens; blushing venen- 

 arius. Plate III, Species 7. 



Cap egg-shaped at first, then convex and later expanded; 

 surface adorned with thin flaky or mealy warts; variable in 



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