Linncean Society. 135 



the working man — and tlie sixth the probable future apphcations of 

 the facts detailed in the preceding chapters, in scientific investiga- 

 tions and in the treatment of disease. The work closes with an 

 appendix containing letters relative to Mr. Ward's cases which have 

 passed between that gentleman and several of our leading scientific 

 men. It is ornamented with a series of very nicely executed wood- 

 cuts representing some of the principal forms in which the cases may 

 be constructed, in order that those of its readers who may be desirous 

 of commencing the cultivation of plants in closed cases may " choose 

 for themselves." We think that few will rise from the perusal of 

 this attractive little volume without feeling some such desire. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



LINN^AN SOCIETY. 

 June 1, 1852. — R. Brown, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



Read a paper " On two new genera of Fungi." By the Rev. M. 

 J. Berkeley, F.L.S. 



After some preliminary observations on the gratification attendant 

 on the satisfactory determination of the synonyms of the earlier 

 writers, and on the advantages to be derived from an attentive study 

 of their works, particularly (as regards Fungi) those of Micheli, 

 Schmidel, Miiller and Battarra, Mr. Berkeley proceeded to call the 

 attention of the Society to two subjects, the one figured by Battarra 

 and the other by Bulliard. The figure of Battarra is contained in 

 his " Fungorum Agri Ariminensis Historia," t. 40, and represents a 

 Phallus which some later writers have referred to Phallus caninus, 

 Huds., although at first sight it bears but a remote resemblance to 

 that species. Several specimens of it were found, according to Bat- 

 tarra, in the neighbourhood of Rome, and he describes them as 

 having the volva dirty white, coriaceous, and filled with a mucila- 

 ginous substance, as in the other species of Phallus. From this 

 arose a club-shaped cellular receptacle, hollow within, the upper part 

 being even and solid within (meaning probably that it was imper- 

 forate), and covered with a crust which was red when the fungus 

 was young, but when it had arrived at maturity the top was green 

 with a zone of red beneath it, the lower portion of the stem being 

 dirty white sprinkled with reddish brown superficial specks : when the 

 fungus was past maturity, the upper portion passed into a foetid fluid. 

 It would seem that Battarra did not see the fungus when fresh, and 

 that his figure was taken from a dried specimen ; but it is very dif- 

 ficult to conceive how a fungus tapering to a point, as exhibited in 

 Sowerby's figure of P. caninus, could by any mode of drying assume 

 the broadly clavate form exhibited by Battarra's figure. A fungus, 

 however, lias been recently found in S. Carolina by H. W. Ravenel, 

 Esq., which exhibits the peculiar form of that of Battarra, and when 

 forwarded to Mr. Berkeley by the Rev. M. A. Curtis was noticed 

 as differing greatly in structure from the other species of Phallus 



