A recent work by Dr. Hollos "Gastromycetes Hungariae 1903" 

 hns much to commend it. The fine plates are the best that have ever 

 been published. It is the only work excepting Vittadini's issued in 

 Europe from which I think a student can reach correct conclusions 

 concerning the views of the author. I consider that there are two 

 very serious faults in the Doctor's work which I shall not now enlarge 

 upon except in a foot note.f With the exception of Vittadini's and 

 Hollos' w r orks, little deserving of extended notice has been done in 

 Europe. The greatest master of European agarics, Fries, published 

 but one work on the gastromycetes. In his earlier days "Systema" 

 appeared which although largely drawn from books and figures has had 

 more influence in establishing nomenclature than any other one work. 



SECTIONS OF THE GENUS. We would divide the Lyco- 

 perdons of Europe into the following sections. 



"ATROPURPUREUM" SECTION. Gleba dark purple when 

 fully ripe. Plants that are collected young however the gleba remains 

 olive or umber. 



Spores large 5-8 mic., rough, mixed with fallen pedicels. Capil- 

 litium colored. 



"GEMMATUM" SECTION. Gleba brown when mature. 

 Columella prominent. Capillitium light colored, whitish to the eye 

 when freed from the spores. Spores small or medium, 4-5 mic., 

 smooth or slightly rough. 



"PRATENSE" SECTION. Gleba brown, distinct from sterile 

 base. Capillitium light colored or hyaline, sometimes septate. Spores 

 small or medium, smooth. 



"POLYMORPHUM" SECTION. Plants of a decided yellow 

 cast. Cortex small, nodular or furfuraceous. Capillitium deeply 

 colored. Sterile base none, or well developed with minute cells. 

 Spores small or medium, smooth (in some species slightly rough). 



"SPADICEUM" SECTION. Characters as previous section 

 excepting the cells of the sterile base are large. 



tlst. The Doctor's nomenclature apparently has but one object in view the addition of 

 the word "Hollfis" to new combinations. It is all done under the plea of "priority" and one 

 might suppose from the space devoted to its discussion that the Doctor was an earnest advocate 

 of this system. Such happily is not the case, as the Doctor's work testifies. In scores of in- 

 stances the Doctor used better judgment and adopts the names in use merely citing in his 

 synonyms prior references and gives no reasons for not adopting them in his nomenclature. 



2nd. Had the Doctor devoted himself to the subject matter of his book "The puff balls 

 of Hungary" he would have issued a very excellent work for the Doctor has a good knowledge 

 of that subject. But unfortunately, he has not done this. He skims around in the Library at 

 Berlin and picks out a multitude, (I counted 31 in 7 pages of his synonyms) of plants that 

 grew in Africa, Asia, North and South America and of which he never saw a specimen, and 

 proceeds to reduce them to synonymy. I refer only to specimens still preserved, that could have 

 been seen, and should have been seen, before any author takes such wholesale liberties with 

 them. He arranges them in rows covering 46 pages, an evidence of a vast amount of labor and 

 work (clerical). A large part of this is only guess work and some of the conclusions that the 

 Doctor reached by this method are far from the facts. A few may be cited as instances. 



"That Bovista abyssinica is a synonym for Bovista plumbea." Bovista abyssinica is a 

 Lycoperdon and does not belong to the genus Bovista. 



"The entire description of Diplocystis Wrightii is explained on an unripe still closed 

 G'easter mirabilils." This was a good guess when the Doctor first published it. for he knew 

 nothing about it, and under the circumstances one guess is as good as another. After the pub- 

 Ijcation however, of a photographic plate showing that Diplocystis Wrightii has no resemblance 

 whatever to Geaster mirabilis such statements should have no place in a scientific work." 



"All species of Diploderma are based on unopened geasters." Some of them are nearer 

 related to phalloids in their spores than they are to geasters. 



We could multiply these e-xamples many times but enough we think have been given to 

 show that a large part of this section of the Doctor's work is purely speculation. I his is very 

 unfortunate for great expense and much labor have been put on the publication and we would 

 be pleased could we give the entire work our unqualified approval. 



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