Art. XXI. — Australian Fungi. 

 By D. Mc Alpine, F.C.S. 



[Eead 8th November, 189-4.] 



In 1892 a "Handbook of Australian Fungi " was published by 

 Dr. M. C Cooke, under the authority, and with the assistance, of 

 tlie several Governments of the Australian colonies. This was a 

 very useful and necessary publication, as it gave workers, or 

 intending workers, in this division of the subject, a substantial 

 basis to start from, and since then various additions have been 

 made. But, as Dr. Cooke points out, the minute fungi requiring 

 a pocket lens for their detection, have been largely over-looked 

 by those collectors who sent home specimens for determination, 

 so much so that, as he states in the introduction, "It is quite 

 probable that in the course of a few years by working up the 

 minute species, the total number contained in this volume would 

 be more than double, even without the investigation of unexplored 

 districts." 



It is to these minute species that I am now giving attention, 

 and this first instalment may perhaps encourage other workers in 

 the same field, for truly "the harvest is plenteous, but the 

 labourers are few." I am indebted to several correspondents for 

 a number of the specimens herein described, and they deserve 

 full credit for their praiseworthy labours. 



1. Mr. F. Barnard, senior, of Kew, one of the old microscopic 

 workers of the colony, has quite a number of specimens awaiting 

 determination, and as many of them are mounted microscopically, 

 this should facilitate the work. 



2. Mr. L. Rodway, of Hobart, Tasmania, who is doing good 

 work among the Plianerogams of that island, has also sent me a 

 number of selected specimens. 



3. Mr. G. H. Robinson, of Ardmona, has been most unremitting 

 in his attention to these minute forms. He is a gold medallist of 

 Longerenong Agricultural College as well as a former distinguished 

 student of the School of Horticulture, Burnley, and his trained 

 powers of observation have enabled him to detect many minute 



