TKEFACE. xi 



Two hundred and fifty-five excellent," life-size, coloured 

 models of a select number of the higher fungi, made by the 

 late Mr. James Sowerby, are exhibited in the public gallery of 

 the Department of Botany at the British Museum — Natural 

 History — South Kensington. These models are arranged in 

 botanical sequence, and may be consulted with advantage. 

 The Cryptogamic Department of the British Museum also 

 possesses a collection of water-colour drawings illustrative of 

 the higher fungi ; these drawings are many hundreds in 

 number ; each illustration has been prepared from a typical 

 living example. The drawings are supplied with sections 

 and other details, and, like the models, are arranged in 

 botanical sequence. By permission of the Keeper of the 

 Botanical Collections, the drawings may be examined and 

 studied. 



The following summary of the number of British species 

 of Hymenomycetes at present known will show the great 

 advance in their number since 1860. In the Outlines 

 Mr. Berkeley described 877 species. In Dr. Cooke's Hand- 

 book, published in 1871, 1041 species are described. In 

 1886, Mr. Stevenson, in his British Fungi — Hymenomycetes, 

 has enumerated 1673 species ; whilst in the present volume 

 no less than 1919 species are recorded. A large number of 

 varietal forms new to Britain are also described. The non- 

 hymenomycetal fungi described in this volume have in- 

 creased in number in a similar proportion. 



In the preparation of this supplemental volume, use has 

 been made not only of Fries' and other original works, but 

 of Messrs. Berkeley and Broome's contributions to the 

 Annuls and Magazine of Natural History ; to the Rev. John 

 Stevenson's British Fungi — Hymenomycetes ; to Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke's revision of his Handbook of British Fungi, as pub- 



