Chapter XXII: Part 22

Growing on the ground and on rotten wood in woods. New York, _Peck_; Alabama, _Atkinson_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Trelease_.

(Plate CLXX.)

LYCOPERDON EXIMIUM.
With magnified spores. (After Morgan.)
]

=L. exi´mium= Morgan—_eximius_, excellent. =Peridium= obovoid, with a fibrous mycelium. Cortex white or brownish, composed of long slender spines, often curved and convergent at the apex, which at length fall away from above downward, leaving a pale smooth surface to the inner peridium. Subgleba small, occupying scarcely more than a fourth part of the peridium; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then brownish-olivaceous; the threads mostly thinner than the spores, much branched. =Spores= oval, even, 5–6×4–4.5µ, usually furnished with a short pedicel.

=Peridium= ¾-1½ in. in diameter and about 1 in. in height. This species is readily distinguished by its large oval spores. _Morgan._

Growing on the ground in sandy soil. South Carolina, _Prof. Geo. F. Atkinson_; Alabama _U. and E._

(Plate CLXX_a_.)

LYCOPERDON CURTISII.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. Cur´tisii= Berk.—in honor of Rev. M.A. Curtis. =Peridium= globose, with a very short rooting base and a slender fibrous mycelium. Cortex consisting of a pale yellowish farinaceous layer, covered by a coat of soft, fragile white spines, curved and convergent at the apex; after maturity it soon disappears, leaving a pale smooth surface to the inner peridium. Subgleba small, but distinct, convex above and definitely limited; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then pale olivaceous; the threads long, simple, hyaline, two to three times as thick as the spores. =Spores= globose, even, 3.5–4µ in diameter.

=Peridium= ⅜-¾ of an inch in diameter. This is _L. Wrightii_, var. _typicum_, of Peck’s U.S. species of Lycoperdon. The peculiar characteristic of the species is the hyaline threads of the capillitium; although they are of large diameter, yet the walls are very thin and the threads collapse in drying. _Morgan._

General. Growing gregariously and sometimes cespitosely on the ground, in meadows, pastures and even in cultivated fields.

This being L. Wrightii, var. typicum Pk., and being edible, it is hardly necessary to repeat the old axiom: Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another.

(_i_) _Cortex of minute spinules, granules, etc._

=L. molle= Pers.—_mollis_, soft. (_L. muscorum_ Morg.) =Peridium= 6–16 lines broad, globose or depressed-globose, narrowed below into a stem-like base, furfuraceous with nearly uniform persistent minute weak spinules or granular warts, sometimes with a few larger papilliform ones toward the apex, whitish, sometimes tinged with yellow, when mature brownish or olive-brown, nearly smooth, subshining; capillitium and spores dingy-olive; columella present. =Spores= minutely rough, 4–4.5µ in diameter.

Among mosses, especially Polytrichum, in old meadows and pastures. Albany, Summit and South Corinth. Autumn.

_Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania. On ground in woods and grassy places in the open. _McIlvaine._

L. molle is of frequent occurrence but not abundant. Though exceedingly soft, it holds its body in cooking and is well flavored.

(Plate CLXX_b_.)

LYCOPERDON TURNERI
With magnified spores.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. Tur´neri= E. and E. =Peridium= obovoid, somewhat depressed above, plicate underneath, with a mycelium of rooting fibers. Cortex white, often gray or brownish above, consisting of minute spinules with intermingled granules; these after maturity dry up and are quite persistent, forming a minutely scabrous coat on the olive-brown shining surface of the inner peridium. Subgleba broad and shallow, scarcely occupying more than a fourth part of the peridium; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then brownish-olivaceous; the threads with the main stem about as thick as the spores, and long tapering branches. =Spores= globose, minutely warted, 4–5µ in diameter, mostly with a short pedicel.

=Peridium= 1–2 in. in diameter and 1–2 in. in height. A very pretty puff-ball with a silky shining coat. _Morgan._

New York, _Peck_, 49th Rep.; West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Ground in woods. August to October. _McIlvaine._

Not frequent though general. It is good but must be young.

Photographed by Dr. J.R. Weist. PLATE CLXXI.
LYCOPERDON PYRIFORME.
]

=L. calyptrifor´me= Berk.—hood-shaped. =Peridium= about 6 lines high, 3–4 in. broad, ovate or subconical, sessile, whitish, furfuraceous with minute warts or spinules; capillitium and spores olivaceous or yellowish-olivaceous. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter.

Moss-covered rocks. Very rare. Adirondack mountains. August.

I have met with this very small and rare species but once, and then but two specimens were found. In these the apex was compressed or laterally flattened, instead of papilliform, as required by the original description of the species; but in all other respects they agree well with the specific characters. The plant is very distinct from all our other species by its small size and ovate or conical shape. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

(_k_) _Cortex of minute spinules, scales or granules. Lignatile._

=L. pyrifor´me= Schaeff.—pear-shape. (Plate CLXXI, p. 602.) Plant 6–15 lines broad, 10–20 lines high, generally cespitose, obovate, pyriform or turbinate, sessile or with a short stem-like base, radicating with white branching and creeping root-like fibers, subumbonate, covered with very minute subpersistent, nearly uniform warts or scales, often with a few slender scattered deciduous spinules intermingled, pallid dingy-whitish or brownish; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow, then dingy-olivaceous, columella present. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter. Edible, but not well-flavored.

_Decaying wood and ground_ both in woods and cleared fields. Very common. July to October. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Common the world over. Growing on logs, stumps, ground containing decaying woody matter. So dense in its clusters at times as to present an impervious surface. It is slightly acrid to taste and smell when raw.

Edible. Tender and of second-class flavor when young; white inside; intensely bitter when slightest tinge of yellow is visible. One too old will embitter a whole dish. A little lemon juice or sherry improves it.

(Plate CLXXII.)

LYCOPERDON SUBINCARNATUM
With spines and pits magnified.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. subincarna´tum= Pk.—pale flesh-color. =Peridium= 6–12 lines broad, globose, rarely either depressed or obovate, gregarious or cespitose, sessile, with but little cellular tissue at the base, covered with minute nearly uniform pyramidal or subspinulose at length deciduous warts, pinkish-brown, the denuded peridium whitish or cinereous, minutely reticulate-pitted; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow, then dingy-olivaceous, columella present. =Spores= minutely roughened, 4–5µ in diameter.

Prostrate trunks, old stumps, etc., in woods. Common. August to October. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

New York, _Peck_, Rep. 24th, 32d; Pennsylvania, _Gentry_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Brown_.

_B_. PERIDIUM VERY SMALL, GLOBOSE, ETC.

(_l_) _Cortex a thin coat of minute spinules, etc._

(Plate CLXVIII.)

LYCOPERDON SEPARANS
With magnified spores.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. Wright´ii= B. and C.—in honor of Charles Wright. =Peridium= globose, depressed-globose or lentiform, 6–24 lines in diameter, generally sessile, white or whitish, echinate with deciduous sometimes crowded stellate spines or pyramidal warts, when denuded smooth or minutely velvety; capillitium and spores dingy-olive, columella present. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter. Edible.

Ground in pastures and grassy places. Very common. July to October.

This is another very variable species. The typical form is a small one, minutely echinate and having the denuded peridium smooth. The plant often occurs much larger and more coarsely echinate with stout angular spines or pyramidal warts, which fall off and generally leave the surface of the peridium velvety.

Var. _typ´icum_. Small, 6–9 lines broad, globose, minutely echinate, the warts quickly falling off and leaving the peridium smooth. (L. Wrightii B. and C.)

Var. _sep´arans_. Larger, 10–24 lines broad, subglobose or lentiform, echinate with coarse substellate spines or pyramidal warts, which at length fall off and leave the peridium smooth or velvety. (L. separans Pk.)

Var. _atropunc´tum_. Larger, 10–15 lines broad, subglobose, pure white, warts or coarse spines brown or blackish at the tips.

This species is generally gregarious, but sometimes it forms tufts of several individuals closely crowded together. It sometimes occurs in cultivated grounds and stubble fields. The under surface is occasionally plicate as in the long-stemmed puff-ball. In the var. separans the warts or spines are crowded at their thickened bases and slightly attached to each other, so that they come off at maturity in flakes or patches. When the denuded surface of the peridium is velvety, it is usually of a darker color than when smooth, being subcinnamon, reddish-brown or dark-brown. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

Ground in grassy places. July to frost. _McIlvaine._

I have found var. separans in December, under snow.

Edible. _Peck_, Rep. 32.

The edible qualities of L. Wrightii and varieties are good.

=L. calves´cens= B. and C.—_calvesco_, to become bald. Subglobose, at first rough with warts which soon disappear, leaving the surface slightly velvety, 1¼ in. broad, bearing short rootlets at the base. =Spores= globose, smooth, having at first only a slight stalk (pedicel), dingy-ochraceous, 3–4µ.

Nearly related to L. Wrightii.

Connecticut, _Wright_, New York, ground in open woods. Bethlehem, _Peck_, 22d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

(Plate CLXXIII.)

LYCOPERDON PUSILLUM.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. pusil´lum= (Batsch.) Fr.—small. =Peridium= ¼-1 in. broad, globose, scattered or cespitose, sessile, radicating, with but little cellular tissue at the base, white or whitish, brownish when old, rimose-squamulose or slightly roughened with minute floccose or furfuraceous persistent warts; capillitium and spores greenish-yellow, then dingy-olivaceous. =Spores= smooth, 4µ in diameter.

Ground in grassy places and pastures. Common. June to October. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina. Common. Spring to autumn on ground in grassy places. _McIlvaine._

Grows where almost nothing else will, and where I have despaired of finding a meal of fungi, I could always find the ubiquitous L. pusillum.

=L. oblongi´sporum= B. and C.—oblong-spored. =Peridium= subglobose, with a slender mycelial cord. Cortex a thin, whitish, furfuraceous coat, drying up into minute persistent granules on the pale-brown surface of the inner peridium. Subgleba nearly obsolete; mass of spores and capillitium olivaceous, then brown; threads much branched, the main stem about as thick as the spores, the branches tapering. =Spores= elliptic, even, 5–6×3–4µ, sometimes with a minute pedicel.

Growing on the ground in dense woods. Wisconsin, _Trelease_. =Peridium= ⅜-1 in. in diameter. This pretty species, previously known only from Cuba, is indistinguishable from L. pusillum when immature, the spores affording the only really characteristic feature. _Morgan._

(Plate CLXXIV.)

LYCOPERDON
CEPÆSFORME.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. cepæsfor´me= Bull.—onion-shaped. =Peridium= globose or depressed-globose, plicate underneath, with a cordlike root. Cortex at first a thin, white, minutely furfuraceous coat, this soon becomes rimulose and at length breaks up into small scales and patches, which finally disappear from the pale or pale-brown surface of the inner peridium. Subgleba nearly obsolete; mass of spores and capillitium greenish-yellow, then pale-olivaceous; the threads very much branched, the main stem thicker than the spores, the branches long and tapering. =Spores= globose, even, 3.5–4µ in diameter, often with a minute pedicel.

=Peridium= ½-1 in. in diameter.

Growing on the ground in meadows and pastures.

New York, _Peck_, 51st Rep.

Good.

(Plate CLXXV.)

LYCOPERDON COLORATUM.
(After Morgan.)
]

=L. colora´tum= Pk.—colored. =Peridium= 5–10 lines broad, globose or obovate, subsessile, radicating, yellow or reddish-yellow, brownish when old, slightly roughened with minute granular or furfuraceous persistent warts; capillitium and spores at first pale, inclining to sulphur-color, then dingy-olive. =Spores= subglobose, smooth, about 4µ in diameter.

Ground in thin woods and bushy places. Sandlake and Catskill mountains. July and August.

_Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot.

New York, _Peck_, 29th Rep.; New England, _Morgan_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Wisconsin, _Trelease_.

(Plate CLXXVI.)

LYCOPERDON ACUMINATUM
With spores. (From Morgan.)
]

=L. acumina´tum= Bosc.—pointed. =Peridium= globose, then ovoid, with a mycelium of fine white fibers. Cortex a white soft delicate continuous coat, drying up into a thin furfuraceous persistent layer on the surface of the inner peridium. Subgleba obsolete; mass of spores and capillitium pale-olivaceous then dirty-gray; threads simple, hyaline, two to three times as thick as the spores. =Spores= globose, even, 3µ in diameter. Plate II, fig. 8. =Peridium= ¼-½ of an inch in height.

Growing on the mosses of old logs and about the base of living trees. New York, _Peck_; North Carolina, _Curtis_; South Carolina, _Ravenel_, _Atkinson_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Costa Rica, _Oersted_.

GENUS X.—=BOVISTEL´LA= Morg.

(Plate CLXXVI_a_.)

SECTION BOVISTELLA
OHIENSIS.
]

Showing cellulose and definitely limited subgleba and the free threads of the capillitium. (From Morgan.)

Mycelium cord-like, rooting from the base. Peridium subglobose, with a well-developed base; cortex a dense floccose subpersistent coat; inner peridium thin, membranaceous, dehiscent by a regular apical mouth. Subgleba cellulose, cup-shaped above and definitely limited, persistent; capillitium originating within the tissue of the gleba; the threads free, short, several times dichotomously (two-forked) branched, the main stem thicker than the diameter of the spores, the branches tapering. =Spores= small, globose or oval, even, pedicellate.

A puff-ball of moderate size, growing in fields and open woods. _Morgan._

=B. Ohien´sis= Ellis and Morg. =Peridium= globose or broadly obovoid, sometimes much depressed, plicate underneath, with a thick cord-like root. Cortex a dense floccose coat, sometimes segregated into soft warts or spines, white or grayish in color; this dries up into a thick buff-colored or dirty ochraceous layer, which gradually falls away, leaving a smooth, shining, pale-brown or yellowish surface to the inner peridium. Subgleba broad, ample, occupying one-half the peridium, a long time persistent; mass of spores and capillitium lax, friable, clay-color to pale-brown; the threads .6-.8 mm. in extent, three to five times branched, the main stem 6–8µ in thickness, the branches tapering. =Spores= globose or oval, even, 4–5µ in length by 3.5–4µ in breadth, with long hyaline persistent pedicels.

(Plate CLXXVII.)

BOVISTELLA OHIENSIS.
Natural size.
]

Growing on the ground in old pastures, in fields and open woods. _Morgan._

This species of puff-ball is made the type of the new genus Bovistella by Mr. Morgan.

GENUS XI.—=CATAS´TOMA= Morg.

Puff-balls growing just beneath the surface of the ground and connected immediately with it by filamentous threads, which issue from every part of the cortex; after maturity, when the peridium breaks away, the lower part of the outer coat is held fast by the soil, while the upper portion which has attained the surface remains, covering the inner peridium like a cap or inverted cup; consequently the apparent apex at which the mouth is situated is the actual base of the plant as it grows. The capillitium threads are similar to the densely interwoven hyphæ, which form the inner peridium and are evidently branches of them radiating from the interior. It is plain that the affinities of these plants are closest with Tylostoma and Astræus, but the needs of a systematic arrangement, according to more obvious characters, causes us to place them next to Bovista. _Morgan._

(Plate CLXXVIII.)

Showing method of growth, breaking away and turning over. Section of same showing origin of the threads of the capillitium. (After Morgan.)

=C. circumscis´sum= B. and C. (Plate CLXXVIII.) =Peridium= subglobose, more or less depressed and often quite irregular; cortex thickish, fragile, usually rough and uneven from the adhering soil, after maturity torn away, leaving the lower two-thirds or more in the ground; inner peridium depressed-globose, subcoriaceous, rather thin, pallid, becoming gray, minutely furfuraceous, with a small regular basal mouth. Mass of spores and capillitium soft, compact, then friable, olivaceous, changing to pale brown; the pieces of the threads short, unequal in length, flexuous, hyaline, 3–4µ in thickness. =Spores= globose, minutely warted, 4–5µ in diameter, often with a minute pedicel.

Growing in heavy clay soil in old lanes and pastures, especially along the hard-trodden paths.

Maine, _Blake_; Ohio, _Morgan_; Kansas, _Kellerman_; Nebraska, _Webber_.

Inner peridium ½-¾ in. in diameter.

This is Bovista circumscissa B. and C., of Berkeley’s Notices of North America Fungi. It grows in great abundance with us some seasons, right in the hard-trodden barn-yard, and along the lane to the cattle pasture. Arachnion album Schw. usually keeps it company. _Morgan._

I have not seen this acrobatic species. Study of its unique habit suggests the query: Is not the turning over of its spore-filled portion a substitute for an original but lost power of growing right side up?

GENUS XII.—=BOVIS´TA= Dill.

(Plate CLXXIX.)

BOVISTA MINOR AND SECTION.
(From Morgan.)
]

Mycelium fibrous or sometimes filamentous. Peridium subglobose, without a thickened base; cortex a thin fragile continuous layer, shelling off or disappearing at maturity, except sometimes a small portion about the base; inner peridium thin, membranaceous, becoming papyraceous, dehiscent by an apical mouth or opening irregularly. Capillitium originating within the tissue of the gleba; the threads free, short, several times dichotomously branched, the main stem much thicker than the diameter of the spores, the branches tapering. =Spores= small, globose, or oval, even, brown. _Morgan._

Small puff-balls growing upon the ground in fields and woods. One grows underground.

=B. pi´la= B. and C.—a ball. =Peridium= globose or obovoid, with a stout, cord-like root. Cortex a thin, white, smooth, continuous coat, breaking up at maturity into minute scales, which soon disappear; inner peridium thickish, tough, rigid, becoming brown or purplish-brown, smooth and shining, a long time persistent, and finally with age often fading to silvery-gray; dehiscence taking place at length by an irregular, torn aperture at or about the apex. Mass of spores and capillitium very firm, compact and persistent, at first clay-colored, pale brown or olivaceous, at length dark or purplish-brown; the threads rather small, .6-.8 mm. in extent, three to five times branched, 12–15µ thick, the ultimate branches rigid, nearly straight, tapering to a fine point. =Spores= globose, even, 4–5µ in diameter, sessile or with only a minute pedicel.

Growing on the ground in woods.

=Peridium= 1½-2½ in. in diameter.

This Bovista is remarkably tough, it maintains its shape firmly and persists a long time; it breaks away from its root and rolls about over the old leaves before the wind, even till the following season. _Morgan_.

West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, in fields and woods on ground. June to October. _McIlvaine_.

Edible. _Trelease_.

When young and fresh it is excellent.

=B. Monta´na= Morg. Peridium subglobose with a cord-like root. Cortex a thin white continuous layer, breaking up at maturity into a mealy or furfuraceous coat, which soon falls away; inner peridium thin, flaccid, becoming brown, smooth and shining, dehiscent by an irregular torn aperture about the apex. Mass of spores and capillitium soft, lax, at first ochraceous or pale-brown, finally purplish-brown; the threads curled and flexuous, very large, with an expanse of 1.25–1.75 mm., four to seven times branched, the main stem 15–20µ in thickness, the ultimate branches long and tapering. =Spores= globose, even, 4.5–5.5µ in diameter, often with a minute pedicel.

Growing on the ground. Rocky mountains. _Jones._ Peridium 1½-2 in. in diameter. This differs from B. pila in being soft, flaccid, and soon collapsing; it, no doubt, is not so persistent. Microscopically it is readily distinguished by its much larger threads. _Morgan._

=B. nigres´cens= (Vitt.) Pers.—blackish. Peridium subglobose, with a fibrous mycelium. Cortex a thin, smooth, white continuous layer, at maturity breaking up into scales, which soon disappear; inner peridium thin, flaccid, becoming dark-brown, smooth and shining, dehiscent at the apex by a lacerate mouth. Mass of spores and capillitium soft, lax, at first ochraceous or olivaceous, at length purplish-brown; the threads flexuous, about 1 mm. in extent, three to five times branched, the main stem 12–18µ thick, the ultimate branches tapering. =Spores= globose or oval, even, 5–6µ in diameter, with long hyaline pedicels.

Growing in old pastures, in fields and woods. Canada, _Saccardo_; Pennsylvania, _Schweinitz_; North Carolina, _Curtis_; Ohio, _Lea_; California, _Harkness_.

Peridium 1–2 in. in diameter. I have never succeeded in obtaining an American specimen of this species; my description is drawn up from European specimens. _Morgan._

Pennsylvania, _McIlvaine_. B. nigrescens is a first-class puff-ball.

=B. plum´bea= Pers.—lead-colored. Peridium ¾-1¼ in. in diameter, depressed-globose, with a fibrous mycelium. Cortex a thin, smooth, white continuous coat, loosening at maturity and shelling off, except sometimes a small portion about the base; inner peridium thin, tough, smooth, lead-colored, dehiscent at the apex by a round or oblong aperture. Mass of spores and capillitium soft, lax, ochraceous or olivaceous, then purplish-brown, the threads .8–1.0 mm. in extent, three to five times branched, the main stem 12–16µ thick, the ultimate branches long, straight and tapering to a fine point. =Spores= oval, even, 6–7×5–6µ, with long hyaline pedicels.

Growing on the ground in meadows and pastures. _Morgan._

Indiana, in abandoned brick-yard, _H.I. Miller_; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Common on ground in open places. Solitary or in groups. Spring to autumn; after rains, _McIlvaine_.

Edible. _Trelease_, _Badham_.

The botanic difference between a Lycoperdon and a Bovista does not affect the Mycophagist. He can not distinguish the difference when cooked. B. plumbea is given in Cooke and in Massee as Lycoperdon plumbeum. Bovista plumbea is a first-class edible.

=B. mi´nor= Morg. (Plate CLXXIX, p. 610.) =Peridium= subglobose, deeply sunk in the soil and connected with it by a filamentous mycelium, which issues from every part of the surface. Cortex thickish, rough and irregular from the adherent soil, fragile, falling away at maturity, except sometimes a small portion about the base; inner peridium thin, smooth, flaccid, reddish-brown, dehiscent by a regular apical mouth. Mass of spores and capillitium olivaceous, then reddish-brown; the threads curled and flexuous, with an expanse of 1.0–1.5 mm., two to four times branched, the main stem 10–15µ thick, the ultimate branches very long and tapering to a fine point. =Spores= globose or slightly oval, even, 3.5–4.5µ in diameter, with long hyaline pedicels.

Growing in damp shaded situations. Ohio, _Morgan_; Nebraska, _Webber_. Peridium ½-¾ of an inch in diameter. A species well marked by its peculiar habit. The curled and flexuous threads are interesting microscopic objects. _Morgan._

GENUS XIII.—=MYCENAS´TRUM= Desv.

(Plate CLXXXII.)

MYCENASTRUM SPINULOSUM PK.
(After Morgan.)
]

Mycelium funicular, rooting from the base. =Peridium= subglobose, without a thickened base; cortex a smooth continuous layer, at first closely adnate to the inner peridium, after maturity gradually breaking up and falling away; inner peridium thick, tough, coriaceous, becoming hard, rigid and corky, the upper part finally breaking up into irregular lobes or fragments. Capillitium originating within the tissue of the gleba; the threads free, short, thick, with a few short branches, acutely pointed and with scattered prickles. =Spores= large, globose, sessile, brown.

Puff-balls of considerable size, growing in the sandy soil of dry regions. A very distinct genus, in no way related to Scleroderma, and resembling it only in its thick, corky, inner peridium. The threads of the capillitium originate within the tissue of the gleba, along with the spores, and are set free by deliquescence, the same as in Bovista. _Morgan._

=M. spinulo´sum= Pk. =Peridium= globose, depressed globose, sometimes elongated and often irregular, with a thick, cord-like root. Cortex at first a thickish, white, smooth, continuous layer; after maturity it cracks or becomes furrowed into large polygonal areas, and at length falls away in large flakes or scales; inner peridium very thick, at first white and coriaceous, becoming hard, dry, brown and rigid, the upper part finally breaking up into irregular lobes or fragments. Mass of spores and capillitium compact then friable, at first olivaceous, then dark purplish-brown; the threads bent, curved and flexuous, subhyaline, .2-.7 mm. in length, about the same thickness as the spores, with a few short branches, and with scattered prickles, which are most abundant toward the acute extremities. =Spores= globose, very minutely warted, opaque, 9–12µ in. diameter, often with a minute or slender hyaline pedicel.

Growing on the sandy soil of the western prairies. Wisconsin, _Brown_; Dakota, _Ellis_; Nebraska, _Webber_; Colorado, _Trelease_; Kansas, _Kellerman_, _Cragin_; New Mexico, _Irish_.

=Peridium= 2–4 in. in diameter. The plants are said to grow together in groups, sometimes of many individuals; after maturity they are easily loosened from their place of growth and are then rolled about by the wind. _Morgan._

No report upon edibility. Probably good.

FAMILY III.—=SCLERODERMA´CEÆ=.

=Peridium= discrete from the gleba, often with a columella; cells of the gleba subpersistent. _Morgan._

GENUS I.—=SCLERODER´MA= Pers.

_Scleros_, hard; _derma_, skin.

Skin firm with an innate bark, bursting irregularly; woolly threads adhering on all sides to the bark and forming distinct veins in the central mass. Base sterile, usually becoming elongated into a stem-like structure. =Spores= large, granulated.

Scleroderma vulgare and verrucosum are general and very common over the United States. S. bovista and S. geaster have the same range but are not so common. They much resemble puff-balls, but are more pudgy, solid-looking. All are edible. Their qualities are noted under their descriptions.

(Plate CLXXX.)

A-B. Firm when young and remain nearly so when mature.

=S. vulga´re= Fr.—_vulgaris_, common. (Plate CLXXX.) Subsessile, irregular; bark corky, hard, opening indefinitely; inner mass in which the spores are collected into little heaps separated by a few grayish woolly threads, bluish-black. =Spores= dingy; in the mass blackish with purple tinge, globose, warted, 9–11µ _Massee_.

The larger form is generally of a yellowish or brownish hue, surface warty or covered with rough scales; the smaller, stemless minutely warty, bright brown.

Under trees, etc. Often cespitose, 1–3 in. across. =Peridium= variable, white or pale-brown, often becoming pink when cut. Dehiscing by decay of upper portion of peridium. _Massee._

Scleroderma vulgare is one of our most common and plentiful toadstools. Its hard, rough, warty, light brown knobs, single or clustered, growing along brook-banks or under trees, generally choosing hard ground, are known to all who observe Nature’s curiosities. When quite young they are white inside. As they enlarge the center darkens and this purplish color finally develops into a grayish-purplish-black which extends throughout the interior and gives it a granular appearance. The fungus is solid, cutting like a potato. Its smell is strong; also its taste when raw. Sliced and well-cooked the species is good, even after it has become purplish, but if a single one is wilted it will embitter a whole dish. Or if it is not very well stewed or fried it remains strong. In no condition is it injurious. Specimens must be pared, and the base well cut away.

=S. bovis´ta= Fr. Subsessile, often irregular, peridium thin, pliant, almost smooth; tramal walls floccose, _yellow_, mass of spores olive-brown, spores globose, warted, 10–13µ.

Sandy soil under trees, etc. From 1–2 in. across. Distinguished by the thin, almost smooth peridium, and the yellow tramal walls. _Massee._

West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On ground under trees. June to November. _McIlvaine._

Not rough like S. vulgare and S. verrucosum, nor as solid. Same habit, same edible qualities when young. It is not good after it begins to change color.

=S. verruco´sum= Pers.—_verrucosus_, covered with warts (_verruc[oe]_). Peridium thin above, ochraceous or dingy brown, covered with minute warts, subglobose, continued downward as a more or less elongated stem-like base. =Spores= umber in the mass; trama whitish.

=Spores= globose, warted, 10–13µ.

On the ground, under trees, etc. Peridium 1–3 in. across. =Stem= ½-2 in. long, thick, flatly pitted, sometimes almost sessile, when it approaches S. vulgare, but is distinguished by the thin peridium and absence of purple tinge in the immature spore mass. _Massee._

West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. June to October. On ground under trees. Same habit as S. vulgare. _McIlvaine._

S. verrucosum closely resembles S. vulgare. The distinctions are noted in the description. It must be young, fresh and white inside, or it is bitter. It is not of as good quality as S. vulgare.

=S. geas´ter= Fr.—resembling genus Geaster in its manner of opening. Subglobose, sessile, peridium thick, rigid, almost smooth, splitting in an irregularly stellate manner at the apex.

=Spores= warted, 12–16µ.

Sandy places. Known by the peridium dehiscing in a stellate manner; from 1–2 in. across. _Massee._

New Jersey, August. In sandy woods. _McIlvaine._

I have found but few specimens. Those were edible and good.

GENUS II.—=POLYSAC´CUM= De C.

_Polus_, many; _saccus_, a sack.

(Plate CLXXXI.)

POLYSACCUM PISOCARPIUM.
Natural size.
]

Peridium irregularly globose, thick, attenuated downward into a stem-like base, opening by disintegration of its upper portion; internal mass (gleba) divided into distinct sack-like cells.

Allied to Scleroderma and distinguished by the cavities of the gleba containing distinct peridiola. _Massee._

=P. pisocar´pium= Fr. _Gr_—a pea; _Gr_—fruited. =Peridium= irregularly globose, indistinctly nodulose, passing downward into a stout stem-like base; peridiola irregularly angular, 4–5×2–3µ, yellow. =Spores= globose, warted, coffee-color, 9–13µ _Massee_.

P. pisocarpium was quite common at Mt. Gretna, Pa., from August to October, 1898, in open pine and mixed woods, growing from sandy ground. The height reached 5 in. and diameter 2 in. The shapes were usually those of inverted pears, more or less flattened along their lengths. Skin hard, polished, olivaceous-black with dull yellow mottlings, not unlike rattlesnake skin. When broken the peridiola (small ovate cylinders which bear the spores within) are very distinct, often over ⅛ in. long. The entire interior is dark when mature, and the rupture of the plant is irregular and by disintegration of the upper part. They often dry without rupturing. Search as I would, I could not find a young one, or one in edible condition. The plant is here given because interesting and one the student will wish to identify. It is so odd that it is not surprising to find it employed as a medicine in China.

TOADSTOOL POISONING AND ITS TREATMENT

BY W.S. CARTER, M.D.
Professor of Physiology and Hygiene, University of Texas, Galveston,
Texas.

The poisonous mushrooms, or so-called toadstools, may be grouped in two classes: (1) Those containing minor or irritant poisons, which act locally on the gastro-intestinal tract, such as the Clitocybe illudens, Lepiota Morgani and others, and (2) those containing major poisons which act on the nerve centers after absorption, causing symptoms to appear a long time after the poison has been taken and very often terminating fatally. This group includes the Amanita muscaria, the Amanita bulbosa or Am. verna and the Amanita phalloides.

From the prompt way in which vomiting and purging begin after eating the toadstools of the first group there seems to be no doubt of the local irritant action on the alimentary canal. Grave symptoms from any constitutional effect or any serious disturbances of the circulation do not occur. Although intensely disagreeable, such poisoning terminates in recovery and may not be regarded as dangerous unless the poison be taken in enormous quantity or by one in poor health.

In poisoning by the deadly toxic Amanitæ vomiting and purging may also occur as prominent symptoms, but generally only occur late—ten to fifteen hours after eating the toadstool—and are due to the action of the poison on the nerve centers. This is clear from the fact that these symptoms appear when the poison is given either hypodermatically or intravenously to animals.

It is exceedingly unfortunate that these deadly poisonous toadstools do not give some warning either in an unpleasant taste or contain an irritant which would act locally to cause emesis and purgation, for in that case the patient would get rid of the poison before such large quantities were absorbed and fatal poisoning would be less frequent. They are not at all unpalatable and sometimes large quantities are eaten by mistake.

Formerly frequent allusion was made to the possibility of poisoning by decomposition products from putrefactive changes in mushrooms. Not a single case has come to the writer’s notice where this form of poisoning has _actually_ occurred. In many reported cases of poisoning it is distinctly stated they were eaten soon after gathering; in none does the reporter mention any suspicion of poisoning of this nature.

At one time very many mushrooms were supposed to be poisonous. We now know that there are only a few dangerous ones, and where serious poisoning occurs it seems clearly to be due to some definite and constant poisons contained in certain fungi. We shall not deal here with the irritant poisons, as they are not dangerous and usually Nature gets rid of them easily, but shall consider the poisons of the Amanita muscaria or “Fly mushroom,” the A. bulbosus vernus Bull. or A. verna, and the A. phalloides or “death cup.” The writer has not had any personal experience with poisoning by these in man, but bases his observations upon over one hundred experiments made upon lower animals.[C] This is a distinct advantage in reaching any conclusion, as the facts are definite without any doubt as to the _kind_ or _quantity_ of the poison taken. In many of the reports of poisoning by mushrooms in man no mention of the species is made. In all these cases many kinds have been mixed together in preparing them for the table and it has never been known how many of the poisonous and how many of the edible ones have been eaten by any one individual partaking of the dish. Of course the fluid in which they are cooked contains some of the poison. This explains why some patients recover after having eaten several mushrooms while others die from a part of one only. (See report of six cases by Dr. G.E. Caglieri, New York Med. Record, August 28, 1897; also Dr. Berry’s cases reported by Prentiss, Philadelphia Med. Journal, September 24, 1898.) Then, too, different poisonous species may be mixed together. The symptoms produced by the different Amanitæ poisons are quite different. Those containing irritant poisons may be taken with those containing deadly poisons. This accounts for the great variety of symptoms presented in cases reported.

Footnote C:

All of the toadstools used have been very kindly furnished and
identified by Capt. Chas. McIlvaine. Unfortunately only fifteen
experiments could be made with the fresh fungi while the writer was at
the University of Pennsylvania. Since leaving there it has been
impossible to get any in a fresh state, and the other experiments have
been made either with dried fungi or alcoholic or glycerine extracts
of the fresh.

POISONING BY AMANITA MUSCARIA.

The symptoms of poisoning by this fungus usually appear from eight to twelve hours after it has been eaten, unless it has been taken in enormous quantities, as in the cases reported by Prentiss (Phila. Med. Jour., September 24, 1898), where they came on in half an hour.

These begin with cramp-like pains in the extremities, colicky pains in the abdomen, burning thirst, vomiting and purging. The pulse may be very slow and strong at first, but later becomes rapid, small and feeble. The blood pressure is low and, as a result of this disturbance of the circulation, faintness is a common early symptom. Extreme pallor is often noticed. The secretions are increased, and the sweat and the saliva may be secreted in abnormal quantities.

The pupils are strongly contracted and dullness of the vision or double vision may be noticed early.

The respirations are slow and become shallow and stertorous when the poisoning is severe.

The mental state may be clear at first, but becomes dull, deepening into unconsciousness and deep coma if a large quantity has been taken.

Convulsions are reported to have occurred in some cases from poisoning by this toadstool in man. The dried Amanita muscaria or extracts of the fresh fail to produce convulsions in the lower animals, even in frogs, which are very susceptible. Either there is a considerable difference in the susceptibility to this poison or there is some poison present in the fresh fungus which is lost by drying.

Small amounts of the dried Amanita muscaria are said to be used by inhabitants of northern Asia for the stimulating effect upon the nervous system, producing, like other narcotic poisons, a dreamy state of intoxication, deepening into sleep (Von Boeck in Ziemssen’s Cyclopedia of Medicine, Vol. VII).

In animals the most striking effect is upon the circulation. When injected intravenously it causes tremendous inhibition of the heart’s action—a moderate amount causing the heart to beat slowly and powerfully; a large amount causing complete arrest. Even with the partial inhibition there is an enormous fall of pressure. The slowing of the heart soon passes off, and when a moderate amount has been injected, the circulation quickly returns to normal.

In one of my experiments on a dog, the heart stopped for 1¾ minutes and then began beating again, the circulation soon recovering.

Late in the poisoning the heart beats may be rapid and feeble and the blood pressure low. The lowered blood pressure is largely due to dilatation of the small blood vessels resulting from a loss of control over them by the nerve center which normally keeps the arterioles in a state of partial contraction.

The inhibition of the heart is due to the action of the well-known alkaloid _muscarine_ upon nerve ganglia in the heart. The contraction of the pupil and the increased secretory activity of the glands are also due to this substance which was discovered by Schmideberg and Koppe in 1869.

It was soon found that although dogs recovered from the _immediate_ or _early effects_ (_i. e._, from the muscarine) of enormous quantities of toadstools, they succumbed from the _late effects of much smaller quantities_. Atropine fails to avert this result from the late effect, whether given before the poison, with it, or after it. The inhibition of the heart passes off long before death occurs. Late death does not appear to be due to muscarine.

All these facts put together point to the existence of some other poison or poisons in the Amanita muscaria to which atropine is _not_ an antidote.

This peculiar poisoning causing death so late will be discussed again after considering the other poisonous mushrooms as they act similarly.

Gastro-intestinal symptoms were not as common in my experiments with Amanita muscaria as with the Amanita phalloides. Vomiting and purging occasionally occurred early, but much more frequently late in the poisoning and often not at all.

Convulsions did not occur in any of the animals poisoned by this fungus. Convulsions are recorded in some cases of poisoning in man, but not so constantly as with the A. phalloides and A. verna. Where they occurred either a large amount had been taken (as in Prentiss' case) or there is some doubt about the Amanita muscaria having been the only toadstool eaten (as in Caglieri’s cases). Frogs are very easily thrown into spasms, but no spasms were observed, even in fatal poisoning of them by this toadstool.

Regarding cerebral symptoms, little can be said except that unconsciousness and coma may come on early and persist till death. In cases terminating fatally the animal seemed to be conscious, but so depressed that it was unable to stand or even move when called.

Concerning differences in the susceptibility of different animals to the poisons of Amanita muscaria, cats seemed to be more susceptible than dogs in the earlier experiments with extracts of the fresh fungus, but more numerous experiments with the dried fungus failed to show any greater difference than can be observed between different animals of the same kind.

As to the nature of the poisons very little can be stated from the experiments, as they were undertaken as a preliminary step to chemical studies to be carried on later. The alkaloid muscarine is one of our best known poisons and nothing can be added to what is already known about it. The poisons are extracted by distilled water as well as by a solution of sodium chloride; they are soluble in glycerine and in alcohol and very little difference can be seen in the action of these extracts, unless the alcoholic extract contains more of the muscarine, while the glycerine extract contains more of the other poisons.

It is stated that muscarine is not poisonous to flies; that the Amanita muscaria contains a volatile poison which is poisonous to flies (hence the name “Fly mushroom”), and which is lost by drying; that inhabitants of northern Asia use the _dried_ fungus (after the volatile poison has been lost) for producing intoxication (Von Boeck in Ziemssen’s Cyclopedia, Vol. VII, p. 927). My experiments have been entirely with mammals and frogs, and unfortunately those performed with the fresh toadstools were not numerous enough to enable me to draw positive conclusions as to any loss of toxicity by drying. A single experiment with a cat seemed to indicate that boiling of the fungus lessened the toxicity but subsequent experiments indicated that a boiled solution was no less toxic than one not boiled.

One thing we can state definitely; that boiling the dried A. muscaria does not destroy its toxicity. This indicates that the poison is not of an albuminous nature, which would be coagulated by heat.

Whether or not any volatile poison is lost by boiling a solution of the fresh fungus or by drying at 40° C. can not be stated definitely as the experiments made with the fresh fungus were few in number on account of the extreme difficulty in getting them perfectly fresh.

The average of six observations in which it was possible to weigh the toadstools before and after drying at 40° C. showed a loss of 84.4 per cent. of water. In other words, 1 gram of the dried equals 6.4 grams of the fresh.

Comparing the lethal doses of the _dried_ with the lethal doses of the _fresh_ extracted by glycerine and alcohol, it does not appear that there is any great loss of the toxicity by drying as is shown by the following: Lethal dose of dried in Experiment 31 was .085 gram. per kilo of body weight; in Experiment 55, .033 gram. per kilo caused _early_ death, while .223 gram. of dried per kilo and .120 gram. per kilo caused death from _late_ effects (Exps. 32 and 57). The lethal doses of the _fresh_ were .91 gram. per kilo (Exp. 29) and 1.055 gram. per kilo (Exp. 36) when a glycerine extract of the fresh growth was used, while 1.222 gram. per kilo (Exp. 16) made from an alcoholic extract failed to kill.

It may be well to introduce here the results of an experiment which shows there is no highly poisonous volatile material given off from the A. phalloides. This is rather an important fact to determine, as the opinion is held by some that there is a volatile poison, and most of my experiments were made with the dried fungus. A 1 per cent. solution of fresh A. phalloides was distilled until three-fourths of the fluid had passed over as distillate. The latter was injected into the vein of a dog and found not at all toxic. The opportunity has not been afforded me of repeating this experiment personally, but Dr. J.P. Arnold has kindly repeated it for me, injecting the distillate into rabbits and frogs and failed to find it toxic. Certainly if there is any volatile poison in the A. phalloides it must be either in very minute quantity or very slightly toxic.

ANTIDOTAL VALUE OF ATROPINE.

In arriving at any conclusion we must bear in mind the variation of different animals in their susceptibility to poisons. Thus, to give the greatest difference observed, .085 gram. dried Amanita muscaria per kilo of body weight killed one dog in an hour, while in another dog .223 grams. of the same preparation per kilo only killed after 24 hours, the cardiac inhibition having disappeared one-half hour after the poison was injected. However, an average of six (6) experiments on cats and dogs with dried A. muscaria in which no antidote was given shows the lethal dose to be .103 gram. per kilo of body weight. The average of four (4) experiments, in which the fungus, dried in the same way, was used but _atropine was given as an antidote_, gives the lethal dose of .335 gram. per kilo and death only occurred _late_ in each case. There can be no doubt, therefore, of the antidotal value of atropine for poisoning by Amanita muscaria.

It should be borne in mind, however, that it is not an infallible antidote even when given early, and that it does not prevent death from the _late effects_ in severe cases, although given in large doses. In some experiments atropine was administered at the same time the poison was given and in others before it.

The important practical lesson is that too much reliance should not be placed upon atropine. It will be shown later that it has little value as an antidote to A. verna and A. phalloides. Probably these fungi contain less muscarine than A. muscaria. Although there is no drug so antagonistic in its physiological action to the poison of the A. muscaria as atropine, the use of other remedies should not be neglected. The symptoms have to be treated as they arise. Strychnia, alcohol in moderate amounts and suprarenal extract could all be used to advantage in restoring the circulation, especially late in the poisoning. Atropine merely removes the inhibition of the heart which occurs as an early symptom.

External heat should be applied if the body temperature is subnormal. The treatment of gastro-intestinal symptoms will depend upon the conditions of each individual case. The injection of a large amount of warm physiological salt solution (.6-.7 per cent. sodium chloride) into the subcutaneous tissues should also be tried in severe cases seen late in the poisoning.

POISONING BY AMANITA VERNA OR A. BULBOSUS VERNA BULL.

The symptoms appear from six to fifteen hours after the ingestion of the poison and may be largely choleraic in nature, _i. e._, vomiting and purging, the discharges from the bowel being watery with small flakes suspended and sometimes containing blood.

The disturbance of the circulation is somewhat similar to that caused by A. muscaria, viz., slow, strong pulse early, but rapid and weak later. Dizziness and faintness may be early symptoms. Sometimes the skin is pale and covered with cold, clammy sweat; at others there is great cyanosis. The body temperature is subnormal, unless nervous symptoms are very severe. Very prominent among the symptoms are tetanic convulsions, which may appear comparatively early and persist until the end.

In animals the effect of this toadstool is entirely different from that of A. muscaria. Perhaps the most striking difference is the frequency with which convulsions appear. Convulsions occurred repeatedly in mammals and in nearly every frog to which the toadstool was given. This fungus seems to contain some poison that acts upon the spinal cord very much as strychnia does, though less powerfully, of course.

The circulatory conditions are also different. The inhibition of the heart may be pronounced as an early condition, but the pressure does not return to the normal after this disappears, either from giving atropine or from cutting the pneumogastric nerves. Section of these nerves removes the cardiac inhibition much more completely than after poisoning by the A. muscaria. There is often a fall of pressure without cardiac inhibition. In other words, there is a much greater permanent fall of blood-pressure due to paralysis of the nerve center controlling the blood vessels (vaso-motor center). This condition will last a long time and does not show the same tendency to disappear as after A. muscaria. Moreover it is produced by comparatively small amounts of the A. verna.

The respirations are very slow. The blood is poorly oxygenated and this probably causes the cyanosis sometimes observed in men poisoned by this fungus.

Bloody fluid is sometimes vomited or comes from the nose. It may also occur in the discharge from the bowel.

Retching and purging occurred more frequently as early symptoms than in animals poisoned by A. muscaria.

Coma appeared early and continued until death. The administration of atropine soon after giving the poison when cardiac inhibition was present, caused a slight temporary rise of blood pressure but did not affect the dilated condition of the blood vessels. The pressure continued low notwithstanding the atropine. Although the experiments with this fungus were not as numerous as with the A. muscaria because of difficulty in obtaining it, yet it seems clear that atropine is of very little value as an antidote. Death very rarely resulted from the cardiac inhibition occurring early but usually came on late after that condition had disappeared. The lethal dose was no larger when atropine was given than when no antidote was used.

Amanita verna is very much more toxic than A. muscaria, the average of four experiments in which the former was given without an antidote being .034 gram. (dried) per kilo of body weight, while .103 gram. (dried) per kilo, was the average for the latter fungus.

POISONING BY AMANITA PHALLOIDES.

The symptoms described in man are very similar to those caused by the A. verna, except that the convulsions are less constant and cyanosis is not mentioned. In some cases vomiting and purging are prominent symptoms. There is dizziness and fainting, extreme ashy pallor, cold skin covered with sweat, subnormal temperature, muscular twitchings and occasional convulsions and somnolence which deepens into coma and lasts until death, which usually occurs two or three days after eating the poison. Sometimes the gastro-intestinal symptoms are less severe or may be absent, though they are usually present; in that case the nervous symptoms are more prominent, particularly the convulsions and circulatory disturbance.

In experiments upon animals the convulsions were not observed so constantly as with the A. verna. Out of twenty-five dogs poisoned by the Amanita phalloides, convulsions only occurred twice, while twelve frogs injected with different preparations (dried toadstool and glycerine and alcoholic extracts of the fresh) failed to show a convulsive seizure in a single instance. It seems to be difficult for mycologists to draw a sharp line between the A. verna and the A. phalloides and say to which of these two certain fungi belong. This may explain why convulsions are recorded more frequently in persons poisoned by this toadstool than in animals poisoned by it. Frogs are very susceptible to poisons acting upon the spinal cord, and all of those poisoned by lethal doses of A. verna had convulsions, while none of those poisoned by the A. phalloides had any. It would therefore appear from this striking difference in the physiological actions that the two are separate and distinct.

The circulatory and gastro-intestinal symptoms were quite similar to those caused by the A. verna.

A. phalloides is less toxic than the A. verna, but more so than the A. muscaria, the average lethal dose of the dried fungus (eight experiments) for dogs, where no antidote was used, being .117 gram. per kilo.

The antidotal value of atropine is very slight, if indeed it has any action other than removing the temporary cardiac inhibition. The animals very seldom died from this, but mostly from the late effects after the inhibition had disappeared. In four experiments on dogs in which atropine was given either at the same time as the poison or before it, the average lethal dose was .198 gram. of the dried fungus per kilo. Two dogs were killed by .1 gram. per kilo without atropine; another was given the same amount and was given atropine hypodermatically a number of times and recovered, though very ill for two days.

Transfusion of physiological salt solution (.6 per cent. table salt) was practiced in three dogs. Although death occurred in all of these and the lethal dose was not unusually high, the pressure was restored for a time at least. It should be employed in treating poisoning in man, and not be depended upon as the _only_ procedure, but used in conjunction with other remedies. This will be referred to again in describing treatment.

It will be seen from the above that poisoning by the A. verna and A. phalloides present symptoms in the lower animals which are quite different from those caused by the A. muscaria, and that in either case poisoning is far more serious than by the latter fungus. This is not only because they are so much more toxic, but also because there is no decidedly antagonistic action by atropine, and hence its value as an antidote is much less.

In treating a case of poisoning by either A. verna or A. phalloides the only thing that can be done is to meet the indications in the individual case. If the heart is beating slowly, atropine should be given in liberal doses. This will not overcome the chief disturbance of the circulation, viz., the tremendous dilation of the blood vessels. Strychnia will do this to a certain extent, but its use may be contra-indicated by twitchings or convulsions from the toadstools. If it can be used it is exceedingly valuable, as it stimulates not only the vaso-motor center but the respiration and heart as well. Caffein or strong coffee may also be used to this end if the stomach will retain it. Suprarenal extract should also be given hypodermatically, as it will restore the blood pressure more nearly to normal than any other drug, according to our experiments. It has the advantage of not increasing the excitability of the spinal cord as strychnia does, and hence would not be contra-indicated by nervous symptoms.