and shun its acquaintance.

Let us look at the gray mushroom and see how it differs from the others.
It has no ring, its color is a soft gray or mouse color, the margin is
deeply grooved. The cap is almost flat, the flesh does not reach to the
margin, and is white. It is very smooth, but another time we might find
the same mushroom with scales upon it. The cap measures 3 inches across.
The stem tapers upward, is slender, and is 4 inches long. The gills are
free, not attached to the stem, and are swollen in the middle. They are
not very close together and are shining white. The base extends deep
into the ground, and is sheathed with a membrane that is loose and
easily broken off. It is a very common mushroom, and we shall often find
it, but it varies in color; it is sometimes umber, often white, and even
has a faint yellowish or greenish hue in the centre.

So far we have only looked at Amanitas. They are conspicuous, and the
large rings and colors are striking and interesting to the novice; but
look at that clay bank that borders on our road, and perhaps we may
discover some Boleti. Even a beginner in the study of mushrooms can tell
the difference between a boletus and those we have been examining. Here
are two or three mushrooms growing together. What is there different
about them? We see no ring, no membrane around the base of stem, and
what are these tubes beneath the cap so unlike the gills of the others?
They have the appearance somewhat of a sponge. These are the pores or
tubes that contain the spores. Let us divide the fungus. At the first
touch of the knife, through the stem, the color begins to change, and in
a moment stem, tubes, and cap turn to a bright blue. We can see the
color steal along, at first faintly, and then deepen into a darker blue.
The cap is a light brownish yellow color, 2 inches broad, covered with
woolly scales. The tubes are free from the stem. They have been white,