=5. Edible Puffball= (_Lycoperdon Cyathiforme_).--Edible puffballs grow in open pastures, and on lawns and grassplots, often forming rings. They are spherical in form, generally from one and a half to two inches, occasionally six inches, in diameter, broad and somewhat flattened at the top, and tapering at the base, white or brown outside. They often present an irregularly checkered appearance, owing to the fact that the white interior shows between the dark raised parts. The interior is at first pure white and of solid consistency, but later becomes softer and yellowish, and then contains an amber-colored juice. After the puffball has matured, the contents change into a brown, dustlike mass, and the top falls off; and it is then inedible. All varieties of puffball with a pure white interior are harmless, if eaten before becoming crumbly and powdery. There is only one species thought to be poisonous, and that has a yellow-brown exterior, while the interior is purple-black, marbled with white. [Illustration: FIG. 39. THE EDIBLE PUFFBALL. (_Lycoperdon Cyathiforme._) Upper illustration shows entire plant; lower, a section.] =POISONOUS MUSHROOMS FREQUENTLY MISTAKEN.= _To escape eating poisonous mushrooms do not gather the buttons, and be suspicious of those growing in woods and shady spots that show any bright hue, or have a scaly or dotted cap, or white gills.[9] By so doing the following species will be avoided._ =Fly Amanita= (_Amanita Muscaria_).--Infusions of this mushroom made by boiling in water are used to kill flies. This species grows in woods and shady places, by roadsides, and along the borders of fields, and is much commoner than the _campestris_ in some localities. It prefers a poor, gravelly soil, and is found in summer. The stem is hollow and its gills are white. The cap is variously colored, white, orange, yellow, or even brilliant red, and dotted over with corklike particles or warty scales which are easily rubbed off. There is a large, drooping collar about the upper part of the hollow, white stem, and the latter is scaly below with a bulbous enlargement at its base. The young mushrooms, or buttons, do not exhibit the dotted cap, and the bulbous scaly base may be left in the ground when the mushroom is picked. The _fly amanita_ is usually larger than the common mushroom. [Illustration: FIG. 40. A POISONOUS FUNGUS. (_Amanita Muscaria._) The Fly Agaric.]