94 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



FOSSIL FUNGI. 



Translated from the French of R. Ferry, with remarks. 



Bv Joseph F. James, M. Sc, F. G. S. A., etc. 



The tenth volume of Saccardo's Sylloge Fungorion Omnium 

 contain.s a long li.st of fos.sils that have been described as 

 fungi at various times. The list includes about 330 species 

 distributed among forty-one genera. The author, Dr. Aloysio 

 Meschinelli, prefaces the list with some remarks in Latin, a 

 transcript of which, with .some additional remarks, is pub- 

 lished by M. F'erry.''' As Dr. Meschinelli's work and that of 

 M. Ferry are in volumes, which the paleontologist is not 

 likely to con.sult, it has been thought that a reproduction of 

 .the latter's remarks would not be without its value. A few 

 papers, to which neither Meschinelli nor Ferry have referred, 

 will be mentioned at the conclusion of this translation. M. 

 Ferry's remarks are as follows : 



" Fungi begin to appear in the Carboniferous epoch, but 

 they are very rare in this formation and those immediately .suc- 

 ceeding; it is not until the Tertiary is reached that they are 

 lound numerous and varied ; the species of the Tertiary alone 

 greatly exceed in number those of all of the preceding ages. 

 Tho.se of the Quaternary epoch, although not very numerous, 

 are of a higher rank and a more complex structure. But it is 

 not until our own time that they attain the height of their 

 development. 



" The author inquires into the reason for this progressive 

 march. Fungi live by the destruction of other beings. All 

 the cau.ses, therefore, that hasten and facilitate decomposition 

 of these should aid in the development of fungi. 



Ktvue MycoIogi<|ue, April, 1893, pp. 54-.16. 



