lt)4 Canadian Record of Science. • 



forming a cup which, as a warning, is called the "poison- 

 cup." The upper part of the membrane remains at- 

 tached to the cap, where it forms patches or warts 

 upon its surface. At the same time the membrane 

 covering the gills breaks away from the cap and forms 

 an annulus or ring which envelops the stem like an 

 apron or skirt. It is much more conspicuous than the 

 ring on others. 



This genus contains some edible species, but it also 

 contains the most pernicious. 



Nearly all the cases of mushroom poisoning, it is 

 said, can be traced to two species of this genus. The 

 chief danger lies in the fact that under some condi- 

 tions they may be mistaken for agaricus campestris. 



Amanita muscaria or "Fly Agaric," as it is some- 

 times called, a decoction for killing flies being some- 

 times made from it, is the most beautiful of fungi. 

 The pileus from four to seven or more inches across, 

 is bright yellow with dashes of crimson near the cen- 

 ter, and scurfy or warty with the scattered remnants 

 of the veil or volva. The flesh is white, yellow just 

 under the skin. 



The gills are free from the stem, white sometimes 

 changing to yellow. The stem is slender, white, scaly, 

 and has a bulbous base, which is margined by con- 

 centric scales which represent the poison cup. 



In its perfect state it differs very greatly from the 

 Agaricus, but in its button stage it may very easily 

 be mistaken for it, and even in its later stages it may 

 lose its scales and annulus, change in color, and if pull- 

 ed carelessly, the cup may remain in the ground, so 

 one must constantly exercise great care and learn to 

 know it and its allied species under all their forms. 



Although so poisonous, it is said to be eaten by the 

 people of Kamschatka, and it is used as an intoxicant 

 by the Russians in Siberia. Its narcotic properties are 

 greatly increased by drying, and the juice of the 

 whortle-berry, in wljiich this substance is steeped, ac- 

 quires the intoxicating properties of strong wine. 



Amanita phalloides has a whitish or lemon colored 



