POISONOUS MUSHROOMS. 91 



DUNG SLIMY CAPS. 



Agaricus (Strapharia) semiglobatus. 



(Plate XI. Fig. 3.) 



This familiar little fungus is common in 

 every pasture upon dung, and would not 

 be mentioned here save that it is reported 

 that children have gathered of it and 

 poisoned themselves. It has a long, straight, 

 slender stem like a straw, four or five 

 inches long, with a line, like a collar, above 

 the middle. The pileus is hemispherical, 

 about an inch broad, and pale yellow, 

 covered, as well as the stem, with a glu- 

 tinous slime. The gills are very broad, 

 and grey, spotted with the dark purple- 

 brown spores. It was Sowerby who drew 

 attention to this species as dangerous, 

 and intimated that it had been fatal. 

 Since that period we are not aware of 

 any further evidence against it. 



Other species have at various times been 

 reputed to be poisonous or suspicious, but 



