MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS 



^ I 'HE rambler who has never had his attention attracted by 

 the lowly and unassuming toadstool, must be blind in- 

 deed. In summer and autumn, go where he will, in field, wood- 

 land and thicket, the representatives of this wnde-spread family 

 appear. Many people are wont to assume that out of all this 

 host there is but one edible species, distinguished as the ]\Iush- 

 room, while all the others are poisonous toadstools. In fact, 

 the idea that the possession or lack of noxious qualities divides 

 these plants into two natural groups is very general. The 

 mycologist, however, selects and eats many which are regarded 

 as toadstools — one individual claims to have tested five hundred 

 species — while the unscientific who feel confident that they can 

 distinguish mushrooms at sight, frequently select the wrong 

 kind and the next day furnish employment for the undertaker 

 and the obituary editor. The majority of our species are 

 probably harmless, but there are unquestionably many that 

 are noxious, harmful or even deadly poisonous. 



There is really no difference between a toadstool and a 

 mushroom, unless we choose to regard the poisonous species 

 as toadstools ; but in this case we shall be scarcely scientific. 

 The harmless and noxious species do not belong to dift'erent 

 genera but occur side by side in the same group. Among the 

 Amanitas, some species are regarded as especially toothsome, 

 while others are among the most deadly known to Mycology. 



Many rules have been put forth for distinguishing the 

 harmful species, but all but two of them are more or less unre- 

 liable. The first is to learn to know them by their specific 



