20 



THE EVENING MEETING. 



The dinner took place about half-past four o'clock, when 52 gentlemen sat 

 down, and some others were really obliged to leave for want of room. The 

 specialities of the day need only be named. Few seemed to find out the Oreades 

 catsup, but the maned agaric, Cojirinus coinatus, and the red milk agaric, 

 Lactarius deliciosus were carried round by one of the members that all might have 

 an opportunity of tasting them, which they did for the most part with consider- 

 able satisfaction. 



The President (T. Cam, Esq.) gave the one loyal toast of the evening, which 

 the rules permit, and after expressing the welcome of the club to the many illus- 

 trious gentlemen present, called on Dr. Bull to give a report of the fungological 

 peculiarities of the year in Herefordshire. 



Dr. Bull said he was not prepared with any special report of this nature, 

 but felt no difficulty in complying with the president's wish. In the first place 

 he must say that nothing could speak so much for the progress of the study of 

 Funguses in Herefordshire as both the presence at that table of the many gentle- 

 men so eminent in the science of mycology, and the numerous display of funguses 

 upou the tables. Mr. Broome, of Bath, whose name in connection with the Rev. 

 Mr. Berkeley was too well known to need any further comment. Mr. Cuney, 

 vice-pi'esident of the Linnrean Society, the editor of the late editions of Dr. Bad- 

 ham's elegant and classical woi'k on " The Esculent Funguses of Great Britain," 

 and several other publications. Mr, M. C. Cooke, whose name is perhaps more 

 widely known than any other, from his work, " A plain and easy account of 

 the British Fungi," an excellent book, and so cheap as to be within every one's 

 reach. Mr. Cooke had, however, recently published a work in two volumes, 

 "The Handbook of British Fungi," of which he had no hesitation in expressing 

 his belief that it would be the test-book of the student for the next 20 years to 

 come. BIr. Cooke had promised to his subscribers 200 illustrations and 300 

 pages of letter-press. He had given them over 400 illustrations and above 900 

 pages of letter-press. He had resolved, nevertheless, to keep good faith with his 

 subscribers, and bear the extra expense himself (applause), and tlius it had come 

 to pass that Mr. Cooke had lost a very considerable sum of money by the publica- 

 tion of this great work, in addition, of course, to the very great labour of its 

 production. This book was peculiarly acceptable to the members of the Wool- 

 hope Club. The first page he opened liad on it the illustration of a Hereford- 

 shire Fungus, and tliere were some others there which had been found for the 

 first time in Britain by members of our Club. The long notes, too, and the 

 well-drawn figures had, very many of them, the initials "W. G. S." attached, 

 initials which were pleasantly familiar to tlie members of the Woolhope Club. 

 To Blr. Worthington G. Smith, the author of " Mushrooms and Toadstools," they 

 were especially indebted, for be had come down year after year amongst tlicm, 

 and spared himself no trouble for their bcuefit and instruction. The Rev. William 

 Houghton, M.A., F.L.S., so distinguished for his writings on Natural Science, 

 and to whom the Club was indebted for a notice in the Edinburgh Review, Then 



