contrast to the dead leaves around, and then another, close by, and then
a shining white cap; further on a mouse-colored one, gray, and silky in
texture. What a contrast of colors. What are they? By what names shall
we call them?

Let us first carefully dig up the yellow one. We have brought a basket
and trowel, and can examine them thoroughly. We must dig down deep so as
not to break off the stem. There is a ring or collar around it near the
top. There is a bulb at the base, with some slight membrane attached.
The cap is orange color, almost smooth, covered with a few spots like
warts, and there are some lines on the margin. The gills are not
attached to the stem, and are white with a creamy hue. The stem is also
white, tinged faintly with yellow. We will take a penknife and divide it
into halves, cutting straight through the stem and cap. We find the stem
is filled with a spongy substance, and we can now see more clearly the
position of the gills. Our specimen measures 2 inches across the cap,
and the stem is 2 or 3 inches long. It is an Amanita, resembling the Fly
Amanita, which we will probably soon discover. Our fungus is Frost’s
Amanita, named after the botanist who first placed it on the list,
Frost. It is not among the British fungi. It is American.

Now let us dig up the shining white one. It is much larger than the
yellow fungus, handsome, pure-looking, with a rather slender stem. The
cap is nearly 4 inches across, the flesh is white. The stem is long,
solid, with a bulbous base. There is a wide, loose ring high up on the
stem. The membrane around the base is large and thick. The stem is scaly
and shining white like the cap. This pure-looking, handsome mushroom is
one of the most poisonous of its kind. It is called Amanita virosa--the
poisonous Amanita, from a Latin word meaning poison. We have never found
any specimen with insects on it. They seem to know its deadly qualities