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pretty widely. But although this theory was widely extended and widely 

 entertained, it was by no means to be concluded that it was therefore true. 

 He thought it was quite fitting that, at a time of year when romance was 

 held to be in fashion, this, one of the prettiest little bits of scientific 

 imagination, should be brought before them. Nevertheless, he regarded it 

 as being from beginning to end, root and branch, totally and entirely false, 

 and without a single good fact to stand upon. In connection with this 

 theory, three classes of scientific men were brought upon the tapis — the 

 Algologists, the Lichenologists, and the Fungologists — but though it was said 

 to have received the support of many, he made bold to say that amongst 

 them all there was not a single one of real eminence who had ever 

 supported it, but that it had been carried out entirely by intermediate men, 

 and remained only a theory, It was very true that there was between 

 these things much of external similarity, but there was no analogy — there 

 was much theory, but no fact. He had, during his time, had some little 

 experience as to fungi ; there was hardly, in fact, a night on which he did 

 not examine something like fifty of them, so that he might be said to know 

 something about them ; but directly he put his knife into a Lichen he knew 

 what he had got, even if his eyes were closed, such an entire difference was 

 there in the substance ; and although there might be some sort of apparent 

 resemblance, when they got them under the microscope it was evident 

 directly what they were. He had also studied in his time the Pezizaa, and 

 knew something about them, and could therefore say that, although they 

 appeared to be very similar upon the black board, yet there was between 

 the things themselves as much difference as there was between the moon 

 and what they sometimes saw in the cheesemongers' shops. He did not 

 propose to deliver any lecture upon the subject, but merely took this oppor- 

 tunity of protesting, thinking it quite sufficient to say that he entirely dis- 

 agreed with the theory, on his own part, and that he knew of no Fungologist 

 of any note who did otherwise. Dr. Nylander did not accept it, and 

 Leighton and Crombie both had shown that they saw no ground for it. It 

 had, however, been put before the members of the Club by Mr. Stewart in 

 a very admirable and interesting manner, and he congratulated him on 

 having made the best that could be made of a very bad job. 



Mr. Crisp said that the subject of Lichens ought to be a very interesting 

 one to Microscopists, inasmuch as the exact position of the Cryptogam in 

 the vegetable kingdom still afforded scope for extended and careful investi- 

 gation which, for the most part, could be carried out only by the aid of the 

 microscope. It had always struck him as very remarkable that amongst 

 Microscopists there should be so many Fungologists and so very few 

 Lichenologists. Lichens had up to recent times been a little studied and 

 little understood class, and the student, as had been seen, found himself met 

 by contrary opinions of various writers, without much, if any, guide to 

 enable him to form an opinion as to whether they were Algae or Fungi, or 

 intermediate between the two, or what they were. With regard to Dr. 

 Cooke's statement, it should be observed, that Sir Joseph Hooker, in his 

 anniversary address as President of the Royal Society, on November 



