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63 
and the instruction that is gained from what is gathered that I trust this peculiar 
feature of the Woolhope Club will always be maintained as long as Autumn calls 
forth the favourite tribe that urges our pleasurable investigations (applause). 
Mr. Extmes Y. STEELE expressed the pleasure he had felt in seeing their old 
friend Mr. Lees present, and hearing his very interesting paper. For his own 
part, he did not quite concur with their friend in his theory as to the disappear- 
ance of species of fungus and dispersion of the fungus spores, and he hoped that, 
in justice to their friend, it would be fully discussed that evening. He was glad 
to see that Mr. Flavell Edmunds was present, because they had very interesting 
discussions at former meetings between him and Mr. Lees, on the subject of the 
formation of fairy rings, and other interesting questions. He remembered in par- 
ticular the discussion between them on the seeds of flowering plants, and the 
question whether the sudden appearance of plants in certain cases was to be 
attributed to these seeds having been brought to the surface after having being 
long buried, or to their having been transported by the wind. He was quite sure 
Mr. Lees would not feel satisfied if his paper were allowed to pass without dis- 
cussion, and so he had spoken by way of setting the ball rolling. 
Mr. Purwiirs being called upon by the President, said he hoped it may 
not be thought presumptuous in him to differ from his esteemed friend, Mr. 
Lees, on some of the views that had been advanced relative to the non-appearance 
of certain species of fungi found by himself and by some of the old authors. He 
thought his friend had exaggerated ideas with regard to this subject, and especially 
to the dying out of the spores. It must be borne in mind that fungi require very 
peculiar conditions of atmosphere for their growth, and the mycelium may be 
dormant or unproductive of the perfect plant till the fortunate moment when all 
the conditions are present. This may be illustrated by apple crops, for which 
this county is so distinguished throughout England. We all know that some years 
there are lacking such conditions as are required to produce a crop, but the trees 
are still there though the fruit is not present. So it is with fungi: the mycelium 
is in the old habitat, but conditions are not favourable to its full development. 
Then again, the existence of the mature plant is often so brief that unless the 
searcher happens to select the exact time in the year when all these necessary 
conditions alluded to conspire to produce the fungus he seeks, it is evident he may 
search in vain. Mr. Lees has instanced the case where some of the older English 
authors, as Bolton, Sowerby, and others, have described species of fungi which 
have never since been met with. One of the causes to account for this is that 
some of the earlier writers gave very imperfect descriptions, so imperfect as to 
render their identification with recently found species all but impossible, besides 
which they often described or figured mere monstrosities. The figures passed 
round the room this evening, executed by Mr. Lees himself, though very charac- 
teristic and faithful, comprised one that would puzzle an experienced fungologist 
to say what it was only for a very small specimen of the typical form that accom- 
panied it, of the Large-clubbed Clavaria (Clavaria pistillaris) which he says he has 
never met with since. He has evidently figured an abnormal form of this some- 
what common Clavaria, and when those figures are published to the world some 
