NEWS FROM OUR LAWMAKERS. 



Less than a year ago a galaxy of bright, legal stars were solemnly 

 assembled at Brussels to make laws for the mycological world. The 

 constellation was not as brilliant as had been planned. Of the fourteen 

 men that had been appointed as a committee to make our laws for 

 fungi, eight of them, viz : Boudier, Bresadola, Earle, Fischer, Massee, 

 Patouillard, Saccardo, and Ward, were conspicuous by their absence. 

 Ward died before the meeting. What reasons the others may have had 

 for not appearing I do not know, excepting the two that I have since 

 seen. I gathered from my conversation with them that they were not 

 strongly enamored with the task of making laws for other people. 



Professor Arthur was there, representing New York, but he had 

 little to say. It is generally understood that the New York lawmakers 

 received enough law at Vienna to last them the remainder of their 

 lives. Those of the -New York contingency at Vienna who had been 

 appointed to the Brussels Congress, viz : Earle, Evans, and Airs. 

 Britton, were likewise absent. Professor Magnus was there, but after 

 the first round of lawmaking his interest waned, and he was not much 

 concerned as to the subsequent proceedings. Perhaps there were one 

 or two others of the original mycological committee there, but my 

 informant was not very clear on that point, excepting as to two, Atkin- 

 son and Maire. They were both there and were very much in evidence. 

 What they lacked in numbers they made up in votes. I was told that 

 Maire voted eleven times and Atkinson five or six on each proposition. 

 At any rate they made a law that all fungi should have as a start- 

 ing point Fries' Systema, except the Uredinales. Ustilaginales. and 

 Gasteromycetes which begin with Persoon's Synopsis (1801). They 

 must have made this law for other people, for neither of them observe 

 it. 



Atkinson has since published a Gasteromyces, "Ithyphallus impu- 

 dicus" which Persoon called Phallus impudicus. This is not in accord- 

 ance with their law, as the genus Ithyphallus was made by dividing 

 the old Persoonian genus Phallus into two genera and by abandoning 

 the original genus. Such work was always irregular, and since the 

 Vienna Congress has been directly contrary to Art. 45 of the law which 

 prescribes what shall be done in such a case and leaves no discretion 

 whatever in the matter. Atkinson's use of the genus Ithyphallus is 

 in direct violation of his law. It is possible that he was not altogether 

 unconscious of this fact at the time. 



Maire has since published Lycoperdon fragilis which is also con- 

 trary to law, for the plant had a specific name prior to fragilis and 

 subsequent to Persoon, and Lycoperdon fragilis is not "starting with 

 Persoon." Perhaps Maire did not know this. 



One characteristic of lawmakers is that they are very willing to 

 make for others laws which they can not apply themselves. I wonder 

 if there was a man at Brussels (or if there is one elsewhere) who knows 

 enough of the history of the Gasteromycetes to carry their nomen- 



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