Our Edible Toadstools and Mushrooms and How to Distinguish Them A Selection of Thirty Native Food Varieties Easily Recognizable by their Marked Individualities, with Simple Rules for the Identification of Poisonous Species

[Illustration: _Our Edible Mushrooms_]

[Illustration: THE DEADLY "AMANITA".]




                       Our Edible
                 Toadstools and Mushrooms
                          and
                 How to Distinguish Them


     _A Selection of Thirty Native Food Varieties_
  _Easily Recognisable by their Marked Individualities,_
             _with Simple Rules for the_
         _Identification of Poisonous Species_

                    [Illustration]

                 BY W. HAMILTON GIBSON

               WITH THIRTY COLORED PLATES
  AND FIFTY-SEVEN OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR


                     NEW YORK
            HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
                      1895


    THE WORKS OF W. HAMILTON GIBSON.

      _ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR._

  SHARP EYES. A Rambler's Calendar among Birds, Insects, and Flowers.
  8vo, $5.00.
  HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS; or, Saunterings in New England. 4to, $7.50.
  STROLLS BY STARLIGHT AND SUNSHINE. Royal 8vo, $3.50.
  HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS. A Tribute to the Woods and Fields. 4to, $7.50.
  PASTORAL DAYS; or, Memories of a New England Year. 4to, $7.50.
  CAMP LIFE IN THE WOODS, and the Tricks of Trapping and
  Trap-making. 16mo, $1.00.

   PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK.
    Copyright, 1895, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
            _All rights reserved._


                Dedication

  To the Reader kind, gentle, or other, to whom,
  in the hopes of continued grace and well-being

  The Frontispiece and the chapter on "The Deadly Amanita"
  is herewith particularly referred with the Author's Solicitude

  "Forewarned is Forearmed"

"_For those who do hunger after the earthlie excrescences called
mushrooms_."--GERARDE.




[ Transcriber's notes:

   (1) Underscores "_" in text indicate italics.

   (2) Equal signs "=" in text indicate bold font.

   (3) Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents
        of the speakers. Those words were retained as written.

   (4) The illustrations have been moved so that they do not break up
        paragraphs and so that they are next to the text they illustrate.

   (5) Sidenote labels have all been moved to the top of the paragraph
        that they refer to, even when the paragraph has two sidenote
        labels.
]




               Contents
                                 Page

  INTRODUCTION                       1
  THE DEADLY AMANITA                43
  THE AGARICACEÆ                    77
  THE POLYPOREI                    181
  MISCELLANEOUS FUNGI              231
  SPORE-PRINTS                     277
  RECIPES                          299
  BIBLIOGRAPHY                     325
  INDEX                            329


                      List of Plates
                                                      Page

   1. The Deadly "Amanita"               _Frontispiece_
   2. Mycelium, and early vegetation of a mushroom      45
   3. Amanita vernus--development                       49
   4. Agaricus (Amanita) muscarius                      55
   5. Agaricus campestris                               83
   6. Agaricus campestris--various forms of             89
   7. Agaricus gambosus                                 99
   8. Marasmius oreades. "Fairy-ring"                  105
   9. Poisonous Champignons.
      _M. urens--M. peronatus_                         111
  10. Agaricus procerus                                117
  11. Agaricus (Russula) virescens                     123
  12. Edible Russulæ.
     _R. heterophylla--R. alutacea--R. lepida_         131
  13. Russula emetica                                  139
  14. Agaricus ostreatus                               145
  15. Agaricus ulmarius                                151
  16. Coprinus comatus                                 157
  17. Coprinus atramentarius                           163
  18. Lactarius deliciosus                             169
  19. Cantharellus cibarius                            175
  20. Boletus edulis                                   187
  21. Boletus scaber                                   193
  22. Edible Boleti.
      _B. subtomentosus--B. chrysenteron_              199
  23. Strobilomyces strobilaceus                       205
  24. Suspicious Boleti.
      _B. felleus--B. alveolatus_                      211
  25. Fistulina hepatica                               217
  26. Polyporus sulphureus                             225
  27. Hydnum repandum                                  235
  28. Hydnum caput-medusæ                              241
  29. Hydnum caput-medusæ--habitat                     243
  30. Clavaria formosa                                 251
  31. Various forms of Clavaria                        253
  32. Morchella esculenta                              259
  33. Helvella crispa                                  265
  34. A group of Puff-balls                            271
  35.