It presents a rather attractive appearance, being rather large, and having a glistening white cap with a long stem, around which there may always be seen a distinct collar; on carefully removing the soil from around its roots, it will be seen that its stem is surrounded just below the surface of the earth by a sheath-like structure, the so-called "death-cup," which, together with the peculiarities already mentioned, clearly stamp this mushroom as being one of the most deadly of all known natural objects. In addition to the rather inviting appearance of this toad-stool, its flavor is agreeable, thus in every way insidiously inviting, it would seem, the unwary to their doom. Less common than the species just considered is another closely related fungus known as the _Amanita muscarius_, or fly-agaric; this handsome mushroom presents the same peculiarities of structure exhibited by the _Amanita phalloides_, but differs from it in the fact that the tip of its cap is scaly, and is of a reddish-yellow color. The fly-agaric is quite as poisonous as its more common relative, and is equally to be shunned. The reader should be warned that even handling either of the fungi just considered may result in poisonous symptoms--probably as a consequence of multitudes of the tiny spores of the plants being carried into the nose and mouth by the air. Some hours after eating the _Amanitas_, the patient is taken with vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, and extreme prostration; in children, convulsions may occur. Most unfortunately evidences of this poisoning do not usually develop until some hours after eating it. As a consequence, a considerable amount of the poison has usually been absorbed into the body before the victim is aware that anything is wrong, and it, therefore, becomes impossible, as a rule, to greatly help matters by attempting to remove the offending material from the stomach by emetics. Notwithstanding this it would be proper to administer warm water, into which a small amount of mustard had been stirred, in order to assist nature by washing out of the stomach whatever portions of the fungus might remain. When exhaustion begins to appear, it should be combated with doses of aromatic spirits of ammonia, and by the external application of heat. As it is believed that atropine possesses some antidotal powers to the poison of the _Amanitas_, this substance should be injected hypodermatically in the usual dose as quickly as possible, and an experienced physician should be called at once.