14 



This exceedingly poisonous toadstool is common in woods and 

 pastures from July to October, and is the species most frequently 

 causing death, which is due to phallin, that rapidly dissolves the 

 blood corpuscles, when the serum escapes and the vitality is reduced. 

 The symptoms of phallin-poisoning are slowly developed ; the pulse 

 becomes weak, followed by nausea, diarrhoea and death after a few 

 days. There is no antidote known for the poison of the "death 

 cup," and all cases of it call for the skill of the best physicians. The 

 removal of the toadstool from the system by emetics and enemas is 

 of great importance at the outset. 



The vernal amanita (Amanita verna Bull. ) differs but little from 

 the poison amanita, and may perhaps be regarded as a white variety, 

 having the cup more closely surrounding the stem and extending 

 somewhat above the bulbous base. This is shown in 5 to 7, Figure 

 7. While its European name indicates that it is a spring form of 

 amanita, in the United States it does not appear before midsummer. 



All three of the above toadstools have a conspicuous collar that 

 surrounds the stalk an inch or so below the cap. They all likewise 

 have the vulva ; but it must not be concluded that the presence of 

 these parts is conclusive that the toadstool is poisonous or their 

 absence that it is harmless. For example, there is the Amanita 

 civsarea Scop., that while edible, has a red-orange cap with a con- 

 spicuous collar and cup. The common mushroom (Agaricus cam- 

 pestris L. ) has the collar but no cup. The fact that this and many 

 other species have no cup has led to the rule of looking with disfavor 

 upon any with a cup. 



The purpose here is to point out the characteristics of the most 

 virulent species, and let these be known as forms to be avoided, and 

 caution the reader to eat none but those, the wholesome properties of 

 which are fully known, and the specimens are recognized by their 

 specific characters in each instance. While the three Amanitas above 

 described are the truly poisonous species, there are various others 

 that will cause disarrangement of the stomach, nausea and vomiting, 

 and should be avoided. 



Dr. W. G. Farlow, in a recent paper,* after discussing at some 

 length the leading edible and poisonous toadstools, draws up a 

 summary from which the following rules are taken : 



(1) Avoid fungi when in the button or unexpanded stage ; also 

 those in which the flesh has begun to decay, even if only slightly. 



* " Some Edible and Poisonous Fungi." Year Book of the United States Depart- 

 ment o Agriculture, 1897. 



