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t 



A. mlfgfr of Linnxus lias gills wliiti', tnoflly uniform ; 

 pileiis of various tints, cninfon, pink, liljc, or tinvny brown, 

 chaniring to dirty yellow or lokad colour ; l\cm folid, cyliu- 

 dnfal and white. It is vciy common ard bcautihil ; lo'.md 

 in woods and pafturcs, under trees, and fnalh art very fond 

 of it. Dr. Withering tniiincrates nine varieties. A. or- 

 tades has loofc jrills, with the part attached to the pilcns 

 jutting up very clofc to the Hem, fo as to jjivc thtm aimed 

 the appearance of being fixed, watery bro^vuilTi white, two 

 or four in a ftt» the fmall ones veiy minute, and the large 

 ones fometinies fplitting at the outer end ; not numerous, 

 rather broad for the fi/e of th.c plant j frequently conncftcd 

 to the pileus by ligameuts; pileus pale buffy brown, con- 

 vex, irregular, with a fudden depreHion of the border at 

 fome ditlance from the center, often giving the appearance 

 of a large rounded bofs in the middle ; central colour 

 generally deeper ; from one to one and three quarters 

 inch o^'er; and the edge turning up with age: ftcm 

 folid, white, changing to watery brown, cylindrical, but 

 thicker and flattened jud under the pileus, very tough, 

 mollly crooked, tv.ifted when dry, rarely central, one and 

 half inch high and thick as a crow-quill. This is the 

 2-th fungus of Ray's fynopfis, .ed. 3. p. 6. A. pra- 

 ttnfu of HtidfoM, and coriaccus of Lightfoot. There are 

 two varieties ; one with cream-coloured gills, buff pileus, 

 and mealy llcm, and another with yellow brown, more 

 flefliv arid more regularly convex pileus, found in groves. 

 Mr. Woodward fays, that this fpecies has a much liigher 

 flavour than the common mufliroom, but he fuggeils, that 

 from its leather)' nature it is indigeltible, except in the 

 form of powder, in which it is admirable. Dr. Withering, 

 however, obfcrves, that he has feen the pileus and gills of 

 this agaric ver;^ brittle and tender, when fully fatuvated 

 with moillure in rainy fcafons, and in that ilate it is fufli- 

 ciently digcftible. ProfelTor Martyii informs us, tliat he 

 has eaten thefe munirooms for 40 years without injury, 

 and without perceiving that toughnefs like kiither, of 

 which others have complained, except in very dry weather, 

 or when they are in too advanced a ftate. They fliould 

 be gathered young and early in a morning, and properly 

 drcfled. They are found in hedge banks, upland pallures, 

 and (heep commons, particularly in thofe patches called 

 Fairy rings. Thofe that are found in woods and hedges 

 are of inferior fla>Oir to lucli as are gathered in dry paf- 

 turcs, which have a very pleafant fmell and lufcious flavour, 

 either when itewcd alone, or in ragouts, &c. This fort 

 makes excellent ketchup, and is much valued in the form 

 of powder. It is in feafon during September and Odober, 

 but may be dried lo as to be in ufe for table all the winter, 

 'Mr. Lightfoot fuppofes that this fpecies is the mouceron of 

 the French, who ufe it in ragouts, i.iftead of that, and 

 acknowledge it to be equal in flavour, but more tough. 

 The mouccron, however, has a very thick and flelhy pileus, 

 its gills are very narrow and numerous, and fixed to the 

 ftem, and the fteni is thick and (liort. Dr. Withering has 

 carefully diftinguiHied feveral other fpecies from tliis fairy- 

 ring agaric, or Scotch bonnets, as it is called by Mr. Ray. 

 A. chanlartUns oi Linna:us, is the merulius ccinthanUus 

 fif Dr. WiUiering, and may be eaten with lafety ; but it 

 is more tough and lefs highly flavoured than cither the A. 

 arcades or A. campcf.rls. Allione enumerates the following 

 fpecies as edible, viz. A. caiuUdiis — hdbofus — chanlarcUus — 

 tiltens — deiiclofus — niuiaLllls — bninneus — excorlatiu — georgil — 

 tr^Ljftpes — wirlus — vlolaceiu — -Jylvatlcus. But he has omitted 

 A. campcflrls. In many parts of Europe feveral other 

 forts are eaten, which are thought with us to be poifonous. 

 Of this number we may reckon the A. plperaius, which, 

 though it be the moft acrid and fufpicious of all the agarics, 



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is eaten in <»reat quantity by the Ruffians. They fill !arg« 

 vclicls with tiiefe inufnrooms in the autumn, feafon or pickle 

 tluiri with fait, and cat them in the eniuing Lent. The 

 A. pip.rnlui ot Linnxus has gills, pale phiky red, nume- 

 rous, in pairs ; pileus dirty yellow white, woolly, deprclftd 

 in the centre ; and ilem pale yellow. This is the A. tur- 

 piiiiofus of Schaifftr. The A. pljicralus of F;i/lton, and A. 

 hUhjhiUS acrls of Bulliaid is refen-ed by !)•:. W, to the A. 

 l.ljtcrl, which hvs gills whitifli, numerous and narrow : pi- 

 leus fmoolh, irregular, flaltifli, deprelfed in the cent.'r ; 

 item white, ecceiitric ; and juice like milk. Liiler iirft 

 found it in England. This plant, with its varieties, is met 

 with in plantations of wood. It is much eaten by infects 

 and fnails. A. clypetxtas is defcnbed by Dr. W. as having 

 gills fixed flightly to the Ilem, greyiflt watery brown, four 

 or eight in a fet : pileus brown, convex, boiTed, border 

 fcorcd, very vifcid, lo that flies lighting upon it cannot 

 efcape ; paler in colour when diveiled of this vifcid matter, 

 one to one inch and half over ; ftem hollow, white, vifcid, 

 tender,, eallly br:jken, iplitirlr.g, three or four inches high, 

 and thick as a crov; quill. This ipecies is found in wood- 

 land pallures in September. Dr. Pcrcival, in the lafl 

 vol. of his Eflays, p. 267, relates the cafe of a man, who 

 was poifoncd by eating a muflu-oom, which Mr. Hud- 

 fon thinks was one of this fpecies. A. miifcorlus, or red- 

 dilh mufiiroom, has a large pileus, varying much in colour, 

 white, red or crimfon, convex, fpriukled with downy warts, 

 which are raifcd, compacl and angular, or thin, flat, and 

 nigged, turning up with age, from two to feven inches 

 over ; flefli white, reddilh in decay : gills tixed, white, yeU 

 lovvifli with age, moHly uniform, but a fliorter one fome- 

 times intervening ; the fliorter gills varying much in length, 

 but rarely lefs than one third the length of the long ones : 

 the ftem lolid and cylindrical, but the internal fubllance 

 flirlvclling with age, leaves irregular hollows ; fcaly, bul- 

 bous at tile bafe, Irom three to live inches high, and from 

 three quarters to one and a half inch in diameter ; ring, 

 broad, permanent, and turned down upon the ilem. This 

 ])iant rifes out of the ground iuclofed within its brown 

 Itiiddcd wrapper. It is found in pallures. The juice rub- 

 bed on the walls and bed-polls deilroys bugs ; and in the 

 north of Europe the inhabitants infule it in milk, and fet 

 it in their windows, in order to poifon the flies who tafte 

 it. This is the moticho-more of the Ruffians, Kamtfchadales, 

 and Koriars, who ufe it for intoxication. They foine- 

 times tat it dry, and fometimcs immerfe it in a liquor made 

 with the epilobium ; and when they drink this liquor, they 

 are feized with convulfions in all their limbs, followed with 

 that kind of raving which attends a burning fever. They 

 perfonify this mulhroom ; and if they arc urged by its 

 effetls to fuicide, or any dreadful crime, they pretend to 

 obey its commands. To tit themftlves for premeditated 

 alfairination, they recur to the ufe of the moucho-more. 

 A powder of the root, or of that part of the ftem which 

 is covered by the earth, is recommended in epileptic cafes, 

 and externally applied for diffipathig hard globular fwel- 

 lings, and for healing ulcers. The dofe is from half a 

 fcruple to one, taken thrice a day in water ; and a dram 

 adminiitered once a day in vinegar, has been thought more 

 eflicacious. Murray, App. ^led. vol. v. p. 560. Dr. 

 Vvntheriiig eaumerates ten varieties of this fpecies. 



The agarics, with Literal ftems, and thofe without ftems, 

 are chiefly found on rotten wood, or (lumps and fragments of 

 decayed trees. Of the latter fort we flinll mention only 

 the A. qiierchnis, or agaric of the oak : the gills are brown, 

 very much branched and anallomifing, thick, forming ob- 

 long angular, and nearly circular cavities, efpecially towards 

 the t'dgcs ; the pileus bro>s'n, woody, nearly feuiicircular, 



4 or 



