VI PREFACE. 



to avoid repetition to the extent of one-third or one-half in the 

 account of each species, and thereby to secure space for fuller 

 description. Moreover, the diagnosis is not lost. From the 

 arrangement which is adopted in printing, the student, if he 

 is a student at all, can at a glance pick it out for himself. 



The volumes are founded chiefly on Fries's ' Hymenomy- 

 cetes Europsei ' and ' Monographia Hymenomycetum Sueciae/ 

 The former contains the latest arrangement of genera and 

 species ; the latter the more detailed descriptions. ' Mono- 

 graphia ' is now exceedingly rare, only a hundred copies having 

 been originally printed ; and I have carefully embodied from 

 it all that it is of importance for the student to possess. 



In some minute details reference has been made to the 

 older works of Fries ; and in such cases the critical student 

 must compare these, in order to judge of the interpretation 

 which has been given. The works which contain the views 

 of Berkeley are ' English Flora,' vol. 5 ; ' Outlines of British 

 Fungology ; ' and the long series of " Notices of British Fungi," 

 published by Berkeley and Broome in the ' Annals and Maga- 

 zine of Natural History.' 



In giving references it has not been found possible to go 

 beyond more recent works and illustrations. Any exhaustive 

 treatment of synonyms, &c., would make the present volumes 

 undesirably large for practical use. Other references will be 

 found in * Hymenomycetes Europsei/ a work which is certain 

 to be in the hands of any one who will enter minutely into this 

 part of the subject. 



I have included only species which are undoubtedly British. 

 Several have been omitted as apparently of exotic origin ; some 

 have been excluded as determined upon insufficient grounds ; 

 a few cannot be accepted without verification. The tendency 

 in recent years has been to multiply species unnecessarily, and 

 ultimately many so-called species must disappear. The prun- 

 ing -knife must be unsparingly used ; but this must be the 

 work of a Congress of Cryptogamic Botanists, not of individual 

 authors. 



