110 



rent otf by the storms of countless winters ; a Q. scssilrii ira measuring 19ft. ; a 

 Q. pedunculata measuring 15ft. 9in., and a Q. scsaili^/tora IGft. One fine bole lay 

 prostrate — a hoUow shell — some 21ft. in circumference in its dry state. 



" Some have left 

 A splintered stump, bleach'd to a snowy white ; 

 And some memorial none, where once they grew." — Covyper. 



On the surface of this decaying tree, later in the autumn, a very rare fun- 

 gus was found. It was the Hi/dnum Srinaceus, the Hedgehog fungus — one 

 seldom seen but very unmistakeable. It was beautiful in its tints of colour, 

 from pale yellow, though orange, tascarlet. It is agreeable in smell and pleasant 

 to taste, Trattuinick ana Roques to wit. If it were but more common its 

 edible virtues would cause it to be more liighly esteemed. 



On some roots left in the gi-ound Mr. Cam found two specimens of Fis- 

 tuliiia liepatica just beginning to grow ; and on another Dr. Bull hit upon a small 

 species of the little yellow fungus of some rarity, Calocera cornea, closely allied 

 to the Clavarias. 



The carriages were now taken for Mynde Park, and a ride of three miles 

 brought the scientific visitors to this "happy hunting ground." On entering 

 the park an .ejccellent well marked, well filled ling of Boleti was observed round 

 an oak tree, and the same thing was noticed afterwards again and again, which 

 seemed to show clearly enough that the cause of some " faii'y rings " at any rate, 

 was the "drop" from the trees' branches. 



The Rev. William Houghton gathered here some fine specimens of the 

 brown, chesnut-coloured variety of the common field mushroom, Agaricus cam- 

 pestris, of excellent flavour, and its onlinary form was abundant enough, as were 

 also fine specimens of the Parasol Mushroom, Ag. procerus, Ag. cristatus, Hygro- 

 phoras coccineus, and H. niveus. 



Taking the walk round the large piece of water, the place under the trees 

 at the far end, where many rings of Agaricus prunulus had been observed to 

 grow in former years, was visited, but none were found. Its own sister, or per- 

 haps — for there is a doubt upon the point — its own self in variety, Agaricus 

 orcella, had been found in the Forest, and was afterwards found more abundantly 

 on the Mynde and Bryngwyn slopes. It was always growing in scattered thin 

 clusters, and seemed to have an inclination for the neighbourhood of oaks. 



On some old stumps here Partus torulosus was growing well, and some 

 beautiful clusters of Agaricus squarrosus, and under the oaks on the hiU Bussula 

 fragilis, R. alutacea, H. hcterophylla, and R. furcata. 



On the rising ground of Bryngwyn, Dr. M'Cullough found some scattered 

 specimens of a very curious little agaric known as Agaricus incanus. It presents 

 a singular aspect with its yellowish-green colour, its striate and often ragged 

 margin, and the beautiful deep verdigris tint at the base of the stem. It is re- 

 markable for its strong and persistent smell of mice, and some amusement was 

 created by the persevering way in which some of the members went on to convince 

 themselves time after time of its disagreeable odour. 



