38 Rhodora [FEBRUARY 
Atkinson’s illustrations. If fault were to be found at all, it would be 
with figures 85 (Armillaria mellea), 123 (Cantharellus cibarius) , 
and 201 (Ductyophora duplicata), which certainly do not adequately 
present these species. 
The descriptive part of the text is much more than a running 
accompaniment to the illustrations. Most of the descriptions are 
from actual observations of the author, and are not mere.copies of 
the stingy, technical diagnoses of ordinary systematic works. Be- 
sides ample notes of color, structure, variability, habitat, etc. are fre- 
quently appended details of microscopic structure. It must be said, 
however, that comparison of related species would be facilitated by 
greater fullness in some cases. Why, for example, may we not have 
the spore-measurements of Amanita phalloides to compare with those 
of A. floccocephala? To be sure the measurements of other observ- 
ers can easily be referred to, but we want to compare Mr. Atkinson 
with Mr. Atkinson. 
Besides the systematic part of the book, which forms the bulk of 
the volume, there are introductory chapters on structure and develop- 
ment, copiously illustrated, the substance of which has already 
appeared in the Bulletins of the Cornell University Agricultural Ex- 
periment Station. "There are also chapters on * The Collection and 
Preservation of the Fleshy Fungi,” on the “ Selection and Preservation 
of Mushrooms for the Table," on * Recipes for Cooking Mush- 
rooms" (by Mrs. Sarah Tyson Rorer), on the “Chemistry and 
Toxicology of the Fungi" (by J. F. Clark), and on * Structural 
Characters" (by H. Hasselbring), all of which are admirable in 
their way and increase the value of the book to people at large. 
In spite of its good qualities, the book as a whole somehow lacks 
symmetry and unity. It is not aimed at any one class of readers. 
In the main intended for popular use it yet contains, perhaps to the 
surprise of some botanists, descriptions of several proposed new spe- 
cies, though the first medium at hand has often enough before been 
utilized for such a purpose. Ordinary readers, too, can hardly 
be interested in illustrations of such species as Boletus obsonium, 
Pleurotus sulphuroides, and Armillaria aurantia, especially when they 
will search the pages in vain for many of the commonest species 
which awaken prompt inquiry, the moment the eager mushroom 
hunter gets his eyes open. Scant mention of species, such as often 
occurs, as on pages 48 (/anacolus fimicola, etc.) go (Clitocybe cyathi- 
