BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 217 
enabling: us to read the words round it; and it continued to 
do so for several nights with gradually decreasing intensity 
as the plant dried up. 
"A few weeks ago, and not till then, I discovered another 
instance of the same kind. was collecting plants on an 
ironstone hill, in the Toodjay district, when I was struck 
with the beauty of a large fungus, of the same character as 
the former, but measuring sixteen inches across, and about 
a foot from the root to the extremity of the pileus. The 
specimen which I carried home weighed about five pounds, 
was very smooth, yellowish-brown above, and dirty-white 
upon the gills: it gradually became thinner towards the outer 
edge of the pileus, where it was waved and sinuated. It was 
the beauty of the species which induced me to gather it, for 
as to making a full collection of the Swan River Fungi, such 
a task would require an entire season, and the skill ofa person 
who could make drawings or models of them. "The specimen 
in question was hung up inside the chimney of our sitting- 
room to dry, and on passing through the apartment in the 
dark, I observed the Fungus giving out a most remarkable 
light, similar to what I described above. No light is so 
white as this, at least none that I have ever seen. The luminous 
property continued, though gradually diminishing, for four or 
five nights, when it ceased, on the plant becoming dry. We 
called some of the natives, and showed them this fungus when 
emitting light, the room was dark, for the fire was very low 
and the candles extinguished, and the poor creatures cried 
out *Chinga! their name for a spirit, and seemed much 
afraid of it; and I certainly must own it is a very extraordi- 
nary Will-0’the-Wisp.” 
Notes on a Boranican Excursion to the Mountains of 
North Carolina, &c. ; with some remarks on the Botany of 
the higher Alleghany Mountains. 
(Tn a letter to Sır W. J. Hooker, dy Asa Gray, M.D.) 
(Continued from p. 14 of the present volume.) 
As the Ashe County had not been visited by Mr. Curtis 
VOL. I. R 
