THE DEADLY AMANITA 73 



sorbent vehicle for vinegar, salt, lemon-juice, butter, 

 nutmeg, garlic, spice, cloves, and other seeming indis- 



pensables to the preparation of the 

 Mushrooms Champignon a la mode ! 

 a la mode The verdict of the extreme fungus 



epicure upon the delectable flavor of 

 this or that mushroom must indeed be taken cum 

 grano salts, the customary culinary treatment, or 

 maltreatment, of these delicately flavored fruits hav- 

 ing for its apparent object the elimination as far 

 as possible of any suggestion of the true flavor of 

 the fungus. I fancy that even the caustic, rebellious 

 root of the Indian-turnip or the skunk-cabbage thus 

 tamed and subdued in a smothering emollient of 

 spiced gravy or ragout might negatively serve a pur- 

 pose as more or less indigestible pabulum. 



While, as already mentioned, a few of this genus 

 Amanita are edible, it is well in concluding our 



chapter to emphasize the caution of 

 Enough with= an earlier page as to the absolute ex- 

 out Amanita clusion of the entire genus from the 



bill of fare of the amateur mycophagist. 

 There is an abundance of wholesome, delicious fungi 

 at our doors without them. 



Many species of Amanita are to be found more or 

 less frequently in company with the esculent varieties 

 recommended in the chapters following. Among 

 these the two extremes of variation from the typical 

 form are seen in the A. muscarius in its permanent 

 retention of the volva scales and the obscurity of its 

 cup, and in the A. pkalloides, herewith pictured about 

 half natural size, with the frequent entire absence of 



