STUDIES ON THE LUMINOUS FUNGUS. 29 



all members of the family. The grandfather and the father alone helped 

 themselves with about a pint of " sake " (Japanese wine). Nothing else 

 was served at the meal. About an hour afterwards, all the five persons 

 began to vomit and felt pain in the abdomen. They also had a severe 

 attack of diarrhoea, accompanied with much rumbling in the bowels. They 

 felt dizzy and everything around them appeared blue to their eyes. More- 

 over, they experienced a feeling as if a number of fire-flies were flying 

 around them. The mother, who had delicate constitution, suffered most. 

 She vomited and had to discharge diarrhoea more than a dozen times during 

 the night. As all of the family suffered, no one could be sent for the doctor ; 

 and so they had to be content with taking some pills of a patent medicine. 

 The son, being a young man, suffered least and was already convalescent on 

 the folloAving day. The others also got gradually and slowly better, and it 

 took ten days before all had quite recovered from the effect of poisoning. 

 On examing the fungus which remained uncooked, it was noticed that »they 

 emitted a pale light at the gills, revealing the fact that the fungus concerned 

 was the " Tsukiyotaké," instead of the "Hirataké." 



(2) People in north-eastern parts of Hondo are fond of a mushroom 

 known to them by the name of " Tamogitaké " ( = Pleurotus ostreatus Jacq. ?). 

 One day in August, 3907, some fishermen staying at Shimofuro in the 

 Aomori Prefecture, gathered Pleurotus japonicus, evidently mistaking it for the 

 edible " Tamogitaké," from a dead beech. Seven of them ate the fungi. 

 After about an hour, all the men were attacked by symptoms of poisoning — 

 vomiting, stomachache, diarrhoea, rumbling in the abdomen and dizziness of 

 head. Fortunately all gradually recovered. 



In the cases above mentioned, it seems the poisoning was comparatively 

 light. In worse cases death not infrequently occurs. However, the poisoning 

 effect of the present fungus is in general much Aveaker than that of 

 Amanitas. 



Published December 30th, 191§. 



