ESCULENT 1 UNGI OF GREAT BllITAIN. 343 
removed, as it is often noxious, when the rest of the plant 
is unexceptionable. When the hymenium consists of gills 
or lamellae (as in Agaricus and Amanita)^ they need not 
be separated if the plant be taken quite young ; but if the 
pileus or cap be expanded, thej must be removed before 
cooking. 
As the plant commonly known by the name of the Jly-f 
fungus {irom its property of destroying flies when steeped in 
milk), has made some noise of late on the Continent, I must 
warn those who might feel inclined to try it in this country, 
of the danger they would expose themselves to. It has not 
been clearly ascertained whether the species which grows 
in this country, and in the south of Europe, be indeed the 
same as that which is found in Kamtschatka, and called 
Amanita Muscaria Kamtschatka. At any rate, our plant 
is known to be highly poisonous ; and the Kamtschatka 
variety may be another species, or have partly lost its viru- 
lence, from inhabiting a more northern climate. The pro- 
perties of this variety are exceedingly curious, and as they 
are contained in a German essay by Dr Langsdorf, in 
Annalen der Wetterauischen Gesellschaft fur die gesamente 
Naturhunde, I trust a concise account of them will not be 
unacceptable. 
This variety of Amanita Muscaria is used by the inha- 
bitants of the north-eastern parts of Asia, in the same man- 
ner as wine, brandy, arrack, opium, &c. is by other nations. 
These fungi are found most plentifully about Wischna 
Kamtschatka, and Milkowa Derewna, and are very abun- 
dant in some seasons, and scarce in others. They are coL 
lected in the hottest months, and hung up by a string in 
the air to dry : some dry of themselves on the ground, and 
are said to be far more narcotic than those artificially pre-- 
served. Small deep-coloured specimens thickly covered 
