44 Bibliographical Notices. 



Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici seu Synopsis Hymenomycetum. Elias 

 Fries. Upsalise, 1836—1838. Vol. I. 8vo. 



Twenty years have elapsed since the preparation of the first volume 

 of the ' Systema Mycologicum,' which appeared in 1821. Nume- 

 rous species have since been published by the learned author himself 

 in his ' Elenchus/ and in the * Linn sea,' and various new labourers 

 have arisen in the mycological field. The author's intention in the 

 present work, of which we have here only the commencement, is to 

 give short characters of all the fungi hitherto published or known in 

 Herbaria under manuscript names. At the same time he takes the 

 opportunity of completely revising the species, correcting errors, im- 

 proving the synonyms where needful, and making such alterations 

 in the arrangements and such new genera as the very enlarged 

 number of species may demand. The difficulty and labour of the 

 task can scarcely be fully estimated, except by persons versed in the 

 intricacies of the subjects, though some notion perhaps may be formed 

 from the fact that the volume, which comprises only the Hymeno- 

 mycetes, contains specific characters of nearly 2560 species. The 

 number of genera amounts to 65; of these about 28 are either new 

 or sectional divisions of different value raised to the rank of genera. 

 As it is, the genus Agaricus, after nine dismemberments, some of 

 which are very extensive, still comprises 980 species. Of the value of 

 the new genera it would be very rash to speak without careful inves- 

 tigation. The whole group is so natural that it is exceedingly diffi- 

 cult to define genera very nicely, though the species associated are 

 evidently allied in a more peculiar degree amongst each other ; and 

 the characters assigned will be judged sufficient or insufficient ac- 

 cording to the notions which individuals attach to the term genera, 

 which are confessedly artificial assemblages ; for genera do not exist 

 in nature. It is at present uncertain whether the other orders of 

 Fungi will be reviewed, as the encouragement to mycological works 

 is so small, that even in the case of an author of such superior qua- 

 lifications no publisher could be found to undertake the risk. The 

 work is therefore published " sumtibus auctoris," — a circumstance 

 which we hope will be an inducement, not only to mycologists, to 

 whom it is indispensable, but to botanists not so immediately inter- 

 ested in the subject, to become purchasers. As it was imperative 

 upon the author to bring the book out at as little cost as possible, 

 he has been obliged to curtail the descriptions as far as is consist- 

 ent with clearness, to give only the most important synonyms, and 

 to forgo a general index. It is painful to find the author after so 



