FLOWERLESS PLANTS. 345 
white, scaly warts, form a beautiful contrast to the soft, 
green carpet of moss from which it springs, and the elegant 
emerald foliage that overshadows it. This very poisonous 
fungus is to the north-eastern nations of Europe and North- 
ern Asia, what opium and hemp are to India and China, 
awa to the Sandwich Islanders, cocoa to the Peruvians, and 
what tobacco and various spirituous liquors are to Europe 
and America. Thus we see, as a reverend writer justly re- 
marks, that the indulgence of these narcotic cravings has at 
last degraded itself to so low an object in the scale of nature 
as a common toadstool; and that, too, in the most revolting 
manner possible to conceive. The Kamtschatkan and Koriae 
races are so dreadfully degraded that they personify this 
fungus under the name of Mocko Moro, as one of their 
household gods —like the god Siva of the Hindoo Thugs; if 
urged by its effects to commit suicide, murder, or some 
other heinous crime, they pretend to obey its commands, 
and to qualify themselves for premeditated assassination, 
they have recourse to additional doses of this intoxicating 
product of decay and corruption. When steeped in the ex- 
pressed juice of the native whortleberry, it forms a very 
strong intoxicating kind of wine, which is much relished. 
ut the more common way of using the fungus is to roll it 
up like a bullet and swallow without dowiug, otherwise it 
would disorder the stomach. Dr. Greville in the fourth 
volume of the “ Wernerian Transactions,” says, one large 
or two small fungi are a common dose to intoxicate for a 
whole day, i.e., by drinking water freely, which augments 
the narcotic action. The desired effect comes on from one 
to two hours after taking the fungus. Giddiness and drunk- 
enness follow in the same manner as from wine or spirituous 
liquors; cheerfulness is first produced, the face becomes 
flushed, involuntary words and actions follow, and sometimes 
loss of eonseiousness. Some persons it renders remarkably 
active, proving highly stimulant to muscular exertion; but 
by too large a dose violent spasmodie effects are produced. 
AMER. NATURALIST, VOL. IV. zi 
