January, 1920] 



The Canadian Field- Naturalist 



13 



siderable variation in composition, the average is 

 85 to 90 per cent water and 10 per cent solid 

 matter. In Morchella esculenta it is 89.54 per cent 

 water, 10.46 solid matter; in the cultivated mush- 

 room, Agaricus campeslris, 91.8 per cent water, 8.2 

 per cent solid matter. This would place them on 

 a par with cabbages and turnips, which are not 

 generally considered as being highly nutritious. 



Large quantities of edible mushrooms go to waste 

 every summer. This is to be regretted since they 

 are easily accessible. While some mushrooms have 



an indifferent taste, most are of fine flavor, and 

 would repay the trouble taken in collecting them. 

 If their value as a delicacy were more generally 

 known, sufficient numbers could be found all 

 through summer, at the cost of a little exertion, to 

 furnish an appetizing relish for many a meal. 



Thanks are due to the late Mr. J. M. Macoun, 

 Botanist of the Victoria Memorial Museum, for the 

 photographs from which the accompanying plate 

 has been made and to Prof. John Dearness, London, 

 Ont., for identification of specimens. 



A FABLE OF TO-DAY. 



By Ralf Ranger. 



Once upon a time there was an Old Naturalist. 

 He was quite a good Old Naturalist too, and if 

 you look in many of the books you will find many 

 observations and the results of interesting and im- 

 portant investigations credited to him, and not a 

 few monographs bear his name as author. 



After some further years of work this Old 

 Naturalist was about to write a book dealing with 

 a good many different forms of animal life. One 

 day he went up to a big museum and introduced 

 himself to Mr. Flittin Nomen, the young expert 

 in charge of the ornithological section. 



"Ah, yes, sir," said Mr. Flittin Nomen, "I am 

 extremely glad to meet you. I have always ad- 

 mired your monograph on Planesiicus migratorius." 



"Pardon me, but I could not have been the author 

 of the work you refer to. I do not even know the 

 species of which you speak." 



"Yes, yes, but I mean your monograph on the 

 American Robin." 



"Oh, the American Robin. But is not the name 

 Merula migratoria .- ' 



"It has not been called Merula migratoria for a 

 long, long time, for four years at the very least," 

 said Mr. Flittin Nomen. "Your account of the 

 habits of Dendroica fusca, too, I have always held 

 in very high esteem." 



"Dendroica fusca? I thought that I knew the 

 genus Dendroica pretty well, but I know of no such 

 species. 



"It used to be called Dendroica blacl^burniae, 

 but not for a long time, not for the last three years 

 certainly. And you know," said Mr. Flittin No- 

 men, his eyes brightening, "it is really not worth 

 your while learning the name fusca for this species, 

 for I have recently made a great discovery I have 

 found that the specific name alba really has prior- 

 ity. That is the name used in the work published 

 a week before the publication of fusca and con- 

 sequently " 



"But this species is not white'' exclaimed the Old 

 Naturalist. 



"Oh, that doesn't matter a bit, alha has priority 

 by a whole weelf; think of that! It took me a 

 long time, and much very careful research, to make 

 sure of the exact week of publication of the two 

 works, but I have confirmed it, and am proud to say 

 that I have thus been able to make a very valuable 

 contribution to science. I know that in the old days 

 it was supposed that a scientific name should be in 

 some degree descriptive of the species, or at least 

 should not be entirely misleading in its significance, 

 but that idea is now entirely out of fashion. Alba 

 is undoubtedly a lapsus calmi, but that doesn't 

 matter either, it has priority, and that's the thing." 



"But is there no such thing as a nomen con- 

 servenda, thus allowing a name which has become 

 thoroughly established to remain?" 



"I believe there used to be, in ancient tim.es. but 

 such absurd ideas are entirely out of date." 



The Old Naturalist turned to go. 



"So very glad to have met you," said Mr. Flittin 

 Nomen," and I can give you a bit of advance in- 

 formation. I believe that I can prove that Melos- 

 piza IS untenable for the Song Sparrows, and it 

 should be Rubraspizella. It's really a very good 

 job too, for they have been Melospiza long enough." 



"Truly, 'the letter of the law and not the spirit'," 

 murmured the Old Naturalist as he wandered off 

 in the direction of the entomological section. 



In the entomological section the Old Na'uralisl 

 met the expert in charge. Dr. Changem Offen, and 

 tried to converse with him, but as all the names the 

 Old Naturalist used had to be dug up in a list of 

 synonyms, there was little time left for discussion 

 of life-histories, habits, habitats, economic status, 

 and other points in which the Old Naturalist was 

 interested, but which Dr. Changem Offen seemed 

 to regard as of very secondary importance. 



