15 



much more like another species, the smooth lepiota (Lepiota naucina) 



which is considerably sought alter by expert epicures. From the com- 

 mon mushroom the death cup may be at once distinguished by its cup, 

 by its white gills and spores, and by its growing in woods instead of in 

 meadows. Like the death cup, the lepiota has a smooth, satiny cap. 

 white gills, and white spores, but it is distinguished by the absence of 

 a sheathing cup and by the ball-and-socket attachment of the stem to 

 the cap, as well as by its occurrence chiefly in meadows. The death 

 cup is the most poisonous of all the fleshy fungi. It is found usually 

 in pine forests, where it often grows in greater abundance than any 

 other species of fungus. Sometimes, however, it encroaches upon lawn s 

 near the borders of woods. The plant is 

 listed as growing in California and in vari- 

 ous parts of the Eastern and Middle States. 

 In the vicinity of Washington, D. C, it is 

 exceedingly abundant in late autumn. 



Poisonous element. — The poisonous con- 

 stituent is phallin, a remarkable com- 

 pound which resembles the white of egg 

 in many of its peculiarities. It is there- 

 fore known as a "toxalbumin." Like the 

 albumen of egg it is easily coagulated at a 

 temperature somewhat below that of boil- 

 ing water. Boiling decomposes this com- 

 pound and renders it inert. Salt water 

 dissolves it very readily. A large number 

 of cases of poisoning have been attributed 

 to this fungus in ancient as well as in mod- 

 ern times. Inmost of them the plant was 

 taken to be an edible fungus. In a few 

 instances the mere handling of the plant 

 caused serious trouble. A third part of 

 an uncooked medium-sized cap proved 

 fatal to a boy 12 years of age. The effects 

 of phallin were very accurately studied 

 in 1891 by Professor Robert at Jur jew (formerly called Dorpat), Eussia. 

 This investigator showed that the fundamental injury is not the paraly- 

 sis of the nerves controlling the heart, as in the case of muscarine, but 

 has its seat in the blood corpuscles themselves. These are rapidly dis- 

 solved, and the blood thus loses its vitality; the blood serum escapes 

 into the alimentary canal, and the whole system is forced slowly but 

 surely to give way. The symptoms are characteristic; no bad taste 

 warns the victim, and it is usually not from until nine to fourteen hours 

 after eating that the first effects appear. (Earlier symptoms in cases of 

 am an it a poisoning indicate the presence of muscarine or some other 

 poison.) There is then considerable pain, and there may be cramps 



FIG. 2.— Death cup (Amanita phal- 

 loides), one-half natural size. 



