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THE FUNGUS FORAYS, 187: 

 [By Mb. Worthington G. Smith, F.L.S.] 



The Woolhope Club held its tenth annual fungus meeting during the unpleasant- 

 ly fine and sunny week endincr October 5— Monday, September 30, being ap- 

 pointed for the arrival at Hereford of the greater Mycophagi from all parts of 

 England. Besides the ordinary members of the Club the following gentlemen 

 took part in the proceedings, viz., Messrs. Bull, Perceval, Vize, Cooke, Phillips, 

 Eenney, Bicknell, Plowright, Morris, Broome, Du Port, Lees, Davies, Howse, 

 Walker, and the writer, the members culminating in numbers at the Club dinner 

 to more than half a hundred. 



Owing to the irregularities of the trains the arrival at Hereford often en- 

 tails a long day's journey : for instance, the Eev. Mr. J. M. Du Port (honorary 

 chaplain to the Club) had to start for London from Norfolk at half-past 6 o'clock 

 in the morning, and this was preferable to go across the country, as the trains 

 are always late, and belonging, as they do, to rival companies, the passengers are 

 inconvenienced to the utmost extent. The London men got on very well till 

 they got to Gloucester, but Black INIonday being the annual Gloucester " Barton 

 Mop" fair, the station was crowded (especially at night) by thousands of "roughs." 

 First and second class tickets afforded no protection to quiet and decorous pas- 

 sengers, for the drinking, spitting, and tobacco-smoking " Barton Mops " crowd- 

 ed into all classes alike, to the horror and almost suflfocation of women and 

 children and decent people. Of course the trains were very late. 



Mr. Perceval brought with him two healthy thick and shivering lumps of 

 "dry-rot " in splendid fruit, as a special gift to the gentleman at whose house he 

 was invited to stop ; but, alas ! for the apathy of some fungologists, Mr. Perce- 

 val's host did not seem to appreciate the gift ; indeed, he actually asked if the 

 specimens were infectious, and seemed glad when the spore-discharging, quiver- 

 ing lumps were out of his house. Mr. Perceval then most properly made a gift 

 of these two prime specimens to Dr. Bull, who received them with true fungus- 

 feeling, loving, care, and many thanks ; after a day or two these objects occupied a 

 post of honour on the new Museum tables. 



Tuesday, October 1, was the first excursion day, when it was proposed to 

 ransack the Doward Hills and Wye side. The honorary chaplain with his vascu- 

 lum, and the historian with his tripod, started by the earlier train for Ross, to see 

 the Wye from the Ross "Prospect" and the elm trees growing inside Ross church. 

 The elm trees (or rather large saplings,) are very curious ; they are said to grow 

 near to and to overshadow the pew in which the "Man of Ross" sat. The "Man 

 of 'Rose " is made famous in the verses of Pope. The saplings are very tall, and 



