188 
Mycologia 
to know fungi at a glance if one is willing to study them closely 
and to remember the points of difference in form, color, and habit 
among the various species. Unfortunately, there are a few 
“mushroom handbooks” in this country, which are unfailing 
sources of misinformation, and they have evidently been written 
by people of no training and poor judgment. In one case, color 
plates of Amanita muscaria and Amanita caesaria have the names 
of these two species transposed. Identifications based on pictures 
are dangerous unless the publication of such unreliable books is 
prevented. After all, the number of poisonous species is very 
small and when they are eliminated there are still many desirable 
fungi which are perfectly safe esculents. 
So far we have mentioned only the prophylactic measures to 
be taken in eating wild mushrooms gathered in the fields, but 
there is a broader phase to be considered ; this is the question of 
mushrooms in the public markets. If these markets are supplied 
by wild fungi gathered for the purpose it is necessary to see that 
no poisonous species become mixed with the others. In European 
countries many of the public markets have an official mushroom 
inspector, whose duty it is to examine all lots of fungi before they 
are exposed for sale and to condemn all fungi not known to be 
entirely harmless to man. With the increasing taste for mush- 
rooms in this country and the larger stocks carried during the 
season, it may become necessary for us to control our mushroom 
supply in a similar manner. Several deaths have been caused by 
poisonous fungi bought in our public markets. 
Even the use of cultivated mushrooms does not guarantee im- 
munity from trouble by poisoning since it is believed by several 
investigators that harmless fungi may become poisonous if kept 
too long before consumption (Kobert 59 ). This often happens in 
markets and restaurants where mushrooms become slightly de- 
composed before they can be sold. Another danger is that cooked 
mushrooms may develop toxic properties after being kept during 
the summer weather and again served at subsequent meals 
(Frey 00 ). On chemical ground it is easy to see that the unstable 
nitrogenous substances in edible fungi could easily be changed into 
toxic constituents by the action of microorganisms. This is an- 
other matter that ought to be studied by chemical and pharma- 
