April, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



77 



rounded when young, depressed in the centre when 

 old. 



The stalk is 2 to 3 inches long, white or tinged 

 with yellow. Very brittle. There is no ring and 

 no volva or poison cup. 



Besides the scarlet cap, some of the forms with 

 milky juice are mildly poisonous. They are very 

 hot and the milk is not reddish, as with the Orange 

 Flow ( Lactarius deliciosus). 



There are some mushrooms which have tubes m 

 place of gills. Some of these are edible and others 

 poisonous. The poisonous ones have a flesh that 

 changes color when cut or broken or have tubes 

 with red mouths. There are a few mushrooms that 

 have clay-colored gills and a cobwebby veil that 

 should also be avoided. 



Gathering Wild Mushrooms. 



When one is gathering wild mushrooms a basket 

 is the best receptacle for carrying them, as different 

 compartments may be made for holding the various 

 kinds, and thus keep from crushing and spoiling the 

 more tender ones. 



When collecting mushrooms for the table they 

 should never be pulled up or broken off. In the 

 deadly poisonous mushrooms the most marked char- 

 acteristic, the poison cup or volva, is deeply buried 

 in the soil. If the plant is pulled up or broken off 

 the poison cup is lost and it is impossible to dis- 

 tinguish the poisonous kinds from certain edible 

 ones. After a mushroom has been carefully dug 

 up and examined and the collector is certain that 

 it is edible, the lower part of the stalk may be cut 



Fig. 4. — Scarlet Cap (Russula 

 From Hulli'tin 26.3, Ontario Deiiartmcnt of 



Many mushrooms are wholesome when fresh but 

 become dangerous when they begin to decay, or 

 show evidence of the work of insects or worms. 



Jack-O-Lantern, False chantarelle. (Clitocybc 

 illudens Schw.) Mildly poisonous. 



This is a large mushroom growing in clusters on 

 decaying wood. At first the plants are a clear yel- 

 low but later become brov/nish. When seen in 

 typical clusters it is very attractive but is mildly 

 poisonous. Fresh specimens when placed in the 

 dark give off a pale yellowish light, i.e. they are 

 phosphorescent. 



The cap is from 4 to 6 inches broad and more or 

 less funnel-shaped, yellow; stem 6 to 8 inches long, 

 solid, yellow, tapering towards the base. Gills yel- 

 low and running down on the stem. There is no 

 ring and no poison cup or volva. 



Some people can eat this mushroom but to most 

 it is distinctly poisonous, producing nausea, vomiting 

 and diarrhoea. 



When these symptoms occur, following the eat- 

 ing of mushrooms, the digestive system should be 

 cleared by purgatives and a physician sent for. 



■metica Fv.) ^MildU- I'oisoiiou.'^. 



Af^rieiil tui-i\ (>iilario .\s;ricultin-a1 rollogo. 



off to get rid of the dirt. It is often very difficuU 

 to determine mushrooms from the young or button 

 stage, so that unless buttons are accompanied by 

 mature plants, they should generally be avoided. In 

 case of doubt the fungus should be discarded or the 

 complete specimen shown to one who knows mush- 

 rooms very thoroughly. 



Rules to be Observed in Gathering 



Wild Mushrooms. 



It is impossible to give a simple rule or test for 



detecting poisonous mushrooms. Care must be taken 



to observe the characteristics of each mushroom 



gathered. 



The following rules, if carefully followed, will 

 enable one to avoid the poisonous forms: — 



(1) Avoid fungi when in the button or une.x- 

 panded stage ; also those in which the flesh 

 has begun to decay, even if only slightly. 



(2) Avoid all fungi which have stalks with a 

 swollen base surrounded by a sac-like or 

 scaly envelope, especially if the gills are 

 white. 



