122 The Field Naturalist' s QuaiHej'ly May 



black -headed gulls, and whinchat, — over looo feet above 

 sea-level. 



2.(^th. — Many meadow-brown butterflies on wing, a pleas- 

 ing observation after the marked absence of butterfly life 

 in Scotland. 



30^/i. — Moneywort, agrimony, yarrow, foxglove, St John's 

 wort, and self-heal in flower. Heard nightingale sing for 

 last time. Noted the alarm note of the swallow — something 

 like that of the pied wagtail. 



Note. — These observations refer to the district of St 

 Albans, Herts, unless otherwise stated. 



( To be continued in our next.) 



Spring Fungi. 



By Carleton Rea, B.C.L., M.A., &c. 



Many people think that the autumn months are the only 

 time when collectors of fungi have specimens to obtain. 

 This is a common error, and I would urge all botanists who 

 have not hitherto interested themselves in this important 

 branch of their particular hobby to at once direct their atten- 

 tion to the same. Phanerogams, or flowering-plants, embrace 

 a study of some 1958 British species, whilst the native fungi 

 include at least 7000, and probably 8000 species would be 

 nearer the mark. Further, the study of British fungi may 

 be pursued year in year out, and so the assiduous worker in 

 this branch has never a slack time, but has almost unlimited 

 opportunities for adding to the British record, or elucidating 

 the life-history of those species already recognised. 



It is the purpose of the present article to draw the atten- 

 tion of iield workers to a few striking examples which any 

 careful observer may note in the spring of the year. 



First to be noted are the Morels, which are esteemed a 

 delicacy for the table wherever they are met with. They are 

 of fairly common occurrence in our eastern counties, and 

 generally distributed elsewhere ; but in the former there is 



