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THE SPECIAL EEPORT OF THE FUNGUS FORAYS, 



1885. 



For sixteen successive years has the writer found himself in the city of 

 Hereford during that week in autumn which the Woolhope Club devotes to the 

 study of mycology. In these sixteen years many old faces have passed away, 

 many new ont^s have appeared, but still, this re-union uf kindred spirits continues 

 to be looked forward to by all those fungologists who have once been initiated 

 into a personal participation of the fungus foray as one of the red-letter days or 

 weeks of the year. The habitues began to muster from north, south, east, and 

 west, on the evening of Monday, October 5th ; mutual felicitations were indulged 

 in, and amongst genial hand-shaking the prospects of the morrow were discussed. 



The morning of Tuesday, October Gth, broke bright and sunny, so the party 

 of eighteen gentlemen who assembled at the Hereford station were in high spirits. 

 New ground was to be hunted in the woods at Pontiilas. The party included the 

 President of the Woolhope Club, Mr. C. G. Martin, Mr. H. Cecil Moore (Vice- 

 President), Dr. Bull, Dr. Carlyle, Rev. Canon Du Port, Messrs. Cunningham, 

 Vize, C. E. Broome, W. Phillips, G. Massee, C. Bucknall, J. G. Morris, Edwin 

 Lees, C. B. Plowright, and others. 



Just as the start from Pontrilas station was made, under the guidance of 

 Dr. Bull, a few drops of rain fell, but too few to disturb the equanimity of the 

 fungus-hunters. One by one, however, the umbrellas went up as the rain-drops 

 came down slowly and surely, increasing in frequency and volume. A belt of 

 trees yielded several interesting species, amongst which was a Irichuloma, very 

 much like A. terreus, but turning red when injured, for which character it was 

 first assigned to A. inodorus (Fr. ), but subsequently to A. aiio-squamosus (Chev.) 

 Having the habit and odour of A. terreus, it more resembles the figure of A. guttatus, 

 Schceffer, in Cooke's Illustrations. Mr. Bucknall produced some fine specimens of 

 the new Boletus tenuipcs, a plant with the habit of B. piperatus, but abundantly 

 distinct. The rain now settled into a steady downpour— 



" The land was water, and the sky was lead." 



Sucli a soaking the mycologists had not had since the memorable days, in years 

 gone by, at Whitfield and at Cabalva. The party were entertained to luncheon 

 by Mr. Attwood-Mathews, of Pontrilas. 



It is not too much to say the tables were loaded with fungi. The would-be 

 mycophagists were, however, at first taken aback, by observing amongst these 

 A. muscaria and several other beautiful but poisonous species. Confidence was, 

 however, soon restored, when word was passed round that these were not intended 

 for consumption, but were models skilfully constructed for artistic effect in honour 

 of the assembled company. The luncheon came in due course, and was peculiarly 

 grateful to the sodden fungologists. The party returned in the afternoon to 



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