FUNGI. 7* 



plants, the tropics produce some of the richest and most curious. 

 In general, they alaound most where there is a constant succes- 

 sion of moisture, and consequently are most numerous in high 

 latitudes ; but too great lieat does not appear favourable to their 

 development, as many of the moist tropical woods are said to be 

 almost destitute of tliem. Little however, comparatively, is 

 known of tropical Fungi. 



It is much to be regretted that the projected revis>ion of his 

 North American Fimc/i, was not accomplished by that most 

 excellent mycologist, Schweinitz, as that alone would have 

 afforded nuicii ground for conten)plation of the forms, charac- 

 teristic of European and American vegetation, and might have 

 given some clue to the distribntion of species. In a late number 

 of the Aymales dcs Sciences jVaturelies, an account is given by 

 M. Montague of the Fungi transmitted from .Juan Fernandez 

 by Bertero, consisting of fifty-six species ;* of these it is curious 

 that there is scarcely more than a third which ;ire not referrible 

 to well known European species, and only one which requires 

 the formation of a new genus for its aduiission. One new 

 species, in Dr. Hooker's Herbarium, which does not occur in 

 that list, found upon ground on which wood had been burnt, I 

 have myself discovered in a similar situation in this country, 



Beautifid and highly interesting in form and structure as 

 the objects are of which this present Order is composed, though 

 much has been done in this country by Hudson, Curtis, Dickson^ 

 Witlurhig, Sldchhouse, JRollon, whose work has been tr.uislated 

 into German, Btlhan, and esr-pecially /So/re; />//, whose figures are 

 often nnrivalled for character, though sometimes involved in 

 nncertainty from the almost total absence of descriptive matter 

 and neglect of the microscope, towards amassing the matejials 

 out of which the mycological system of the present day has been 

 formed, it has of late years, with one or two exceptions, been 

 h'ss studied than any other branch of Cryptogami*- plants, 

 'ihis has arisen, I conceive, partly from the practical dilhculty 

 of preserving specimens for the herbarimn, partly from the 

 absence of any general work, adapted to the immense advances 

 wljich have of late years been mad(? in the study of Mycology, 

 (iray's Natural Arrangement was intended, I >nppose, to snp})ly 

 this deticiencv, but from a certain mengr«'ne.ss and unsatistac- 

 toriness, as well as from its having completely the air of a 

 t ompihition, it appears to h;iv(; been little eouMilted. To hini, 

 neverlhele>s, is certainly due the merit of having lir>i given \\\c: 

 IJritish IJotani>t a conneeted account of the iniprove<l arrange- 

 nuMit, uides.s indeed there may be previously stimething ot liiat 

 kind in some Encyclopaedia, for 1 possess a c(»py of Alberlini 



• Thor* niP a few 8pc( ion from iJorttro in Dr. Iluokci'.-- Ilirlariuni int 

 iiicludfd in M. Muntugiie'a li^t. 



