PHYTOLOGY. 



PROPOSITION FOE A FUNGUS SHOW IN SCOTLAND. 



WE have very great pleasure in giving a place to the 

 following letter, and beg our botanical readers to give 

 the matter therein contained their earnest attention : — 



« 



"It was wont to be the case that Scotland was well to the 

 front in all, and sometimes led the van in several, departments 

 of botanical research, and I am proud to think that in some of 

 these departments she still maintains her pre-eminence. There 

 are others, however, in which the position which she now holds 

 (in comparison with England, and considering the advances 

 recently made,) is a long way behind that which she once 

 occupied. This, I think, is specially the case with Fungology. 

 Notwithstanding the many and important discoveries lately 

 made by Mr Jerdon, the Rev. James Keith, and a few others, 

 I scarcely think that the most enthusiastic Scotsman will suppose 

 that his country makes the same figure in Fungology as it did 

 when Captain Cannichael made Appin famous. 



I believe that one reason why we of 'the north countrie' 

 have not kept pace with our English friends is, that we have not 

 stood shoulder to shoulder and helped each other as they have 

 done. I fear that the meeting of two Scotch fungologists is 

 about as great a rarity as the meeting of two white crows ; and 

 so one has to toil on in solitariness at a very intricate subject, 

 without sympathy or encouragement, or help, until one ultimately 

 is apt to give up in despair or disgust. It is different in Eng- 

 land. They have there their Fungus Exhibitions, such as that 

 at Kensington and that at Hereford, where such distinguished 

 men as Berkeley, Broome, Bull, Cooke, Smith, &c, meet, show 

 new or rare or a?iy species, discuss difficult ones, make excur- 

 sions to the most promising neighbourhoods, and dine on 

 mushrooms; and where fungologists are started and helped 



