ON THE GENERAL FEATURES OF FUNGI. 7 



phobia" to express, is very curious. If it were Iniinan — that is, 

 universal — one would be inclined to set it down as an instinct, and 

 to reverence it accordingly. But it is not human — it is merely 

 British. It is so deep and intense a prejudice that it amounts to a 

 national superstition. Fungophobia is merely a form of ignorance, 

 of course ; but its power over the British mind is so immense, 

 that the mycologist, anxious to impart the knowledge he has 

 gleaned to others, often meets with scai'cely credence or respect. 

 The superstition strikes deep. He who would write or lecture 

 about Fungi can scarce find readers or hearers. The English 

 scientist investigates every domain of Nature, but leaves this one 

 coldly alone. The English medical man disdains to inquire into 

 the chemical constitution of Fungi, and is indilferent to, and un- 

 knowing of, their relations in regard to medicine, toxicology, diet, 

 or hygiene. It is surely high time that English intelligence should 

 rise superior to this peculiar phase of ignorance ! 



Fungi are a class of plants governed by modifications of the 

 same laws that control the development of all other vegetables. 

 The study of them should be approached from a similar point of 

 view. They ought never, under any circumstances, to be regarded 

 in one common light. Each species has a separate existence, and 

 its nature, characteristics, constitution, and inherent properties 

 may vary very greatly from those of even its nearest congener. 

 Fungi do not spring up indiscriminately, spontaneously, or uncer- 

 tainly. Each species obeys fixed laws of growth and development, 

 and is not transmutable into others. Each species has its own 

 pfTPticular locality and habitat, and its characteristics are precisely 

 definable ; nor are these liable to greater variation than is the case 

 in flowering plants. The species are naturally arranged in larger 

 and smaller groups, called families, orders, and genera. 



The modes by which Fungi are fertilized have yet to be dis- 

 covered. Some are propagated by means of the mycelium to a 

 certain extent, but the universal method of reproduction is through 

 the medium of spores, which correspond to the seeds of flowering 

 plants. These spores are of infinitesimal size, even in the largest 

 Fungi, and are generated in inconceivable multitudes by each 

 plant. They become productive only when they reach their 

 proper pabulum. The conditions under which they become pro- 

 ductive have yet to be learnt. These spores are disseminated in 

 countless myriads by the air, which is ever loaded with them. 

 Some kinds of Mould, for example, it is almost impossible to 



