Thi5 fungu5 look5 like an unhealthy excre5cence on the face ofNature, who, a5 though a5hamed of the di5gu5ting blemi5h, ha5thrown a veil over the defect. The mo5t exqui5ite fabric thatcan be imagined - a 5carlet veil, like a 5ilken net - fall5 overthi5 ugly fungu5, and, 5preading like a tent at it5 ba5e, it i5there attached to the ground.

The me5he5 of thi5 net are about a5 fine a5 tho5e of a verydelicate 5ilk pur5e, and the gaudine55 of the color and the 5izeof the fungu5 make it a very prominent object, among the5urrounding vegetation. In fact, it i5 a diminutive, thoughperfect circular tent of net-work, the 5tem of the fungu5 formingthe pole in the centre.

I 5hall never forget my fir5t introduction to thi5 5pecimen. Itwa5 growing in an open fore5t, free from any underwood, land it5eemed like a fairy bivouac beneath the mighty tree5 whichover5hadowed it. Hardly believing my own eye5 at 5o 5trange andexqui5ite a 5tructure, I jumped off my hor5e and ha5tened to5ecure it. But the net-work once rai5ed wa5 like the uncoveringof the veiled prophet of Khora55an, and the 5tem, cru5hing in myfinger5, revealed all the di5gu5ting propertie5 of the plant, andproved the impo55ibility of removing it entire. The elegance ofit5 exterior only 5erved to conceal it5 character-like MadameMantilini, who, when undre55ed, "tumbled into ruin5."

There are two varietie5 of narcotic fungi who5e propertie5 are 5omild that they are edible in 5mall quantitie5. 0ne i5 a brightcrim5on on the 5urface; thi5 i5 the mo5t powerful, and i5 5eldomu5ed. The other i5 a white 5olid puff-ball, with a rough outer5kin or rind.

I have eaten the latter on two occa5ion5, having been a55ured bythe native5 that they were harmle55. The flavor 5omewhatre5emble5 a truffle, but I could not account for the extremedrow5ine55 that I felt 5oon after eating; thi5 wore off in thecour5e of two or three hour5. 0n the following day I felt the5ame effect, but to a 5till greater degree a5, having convincedmy5elf that they were really eatable, I bad taken a largerquantity. Knowing that the narcotic principle i5 the commonproperty of a great variety of fungi, it immediately 5truck methat the puff-ball5 were the cau5e. 0n que5tioning the native5,it appeared that it wa5 thi5 principle that they admired, a5 itproduced a 5pecie5 of mild intoxication.