30 FUNGALES. [Thallogens. 



duced, arc capable of generating plants belonging to different Orders. This has been 

 long a favourite theory in Germany, but it has not been so fully developed before. 

 vndigt Ferhanddmgen can de Uoll. Maatsch. der Wetensch. te Haarlem. Tweede 

 V 



The subject, as regards the possible development of Algals, &c, from Infusoria, 

 has been rehandled by the same author in a Memoir just pubhshed at Nordhausen. 

 Those «ho are not convinced by Ins reasonings, will at least be ready to acknow- 

 ledge the great research and patience with which they have been followed out. 

 His observations are entitled to the greater attention, because he is well acquainted 

 with the various forms assumed by cellular plants, though his great work on Algals 

 scarcely shows him to have accurate notions as to the limits of genera and species. 



The Fungi by which most extra-tropical countries are inhabited are so numerous, 

 that no one can safely form even a conjecture as to the number that actually exists, 

 li they arc ever fortuitous productions, the number must be indeterminable ; if many 

 are mere diseases, and the remainder fixed species, then the knowledge of their 

 nature must be reduced to a more settled state before any judgment upon their 

 number can be formed. Fries discovered no fewer than 2000 species within the 

 compass of a square furlong in Sweden ; of Agaricus alone above 1000 species are 

 described; and of the lower tribes the number must be infinite. Sprengel, however, 

 does not enumerate in his Systcma VcgetabiUum more than between 2700 and 2800 ; 

 but when we consider that his genus Agaricus does not go beyond number 64G, 

 although 1000 at least are described, it is not improbable that the rest of his enumera- 

 tion is equally defective, and that the number of described Fungi perhaps amounts to 

 Ben 1000 and 5000. Of tropical species we know but httle ; their fugitive nature, the 

 difficulty of preserving them, and perhaps the incuriousness of travellers, as well as 

 their scarcity in the damp parts of equinoctial countries, have been the causes of 

 the proportion in such climates between Fungi and other plants being unknown. 

 Mr. Berkeley has taken occasion, from the publication of a list of Java Fungi by 

 Junghuhn, to institute a comparison between those of Java and the Philippine collec- 

 tion made by Mr. Cuming. Neither fist can, indeed, be considered as complete, but hi 

 both oases the proportion of Fungi remaining to be described is probably much the 

 Bame. Parts of the Philippines are situated in a degree of latitude in the northern 

 hemisphere exactly corresponding with that of Java in the southern. The number of 

 species described by Junghuhn is 1 1 3, that collected by Cuming about 40. Of these 

 only i of the species are common to the two localities, and out of these four are spe- 

 cies of Polyporus common to all tropical countries. Of Junghuhn's Fungi 3=^- are 

 Coniomycetes, 9=^are Hyphomycetes, 7=-^ Gasteromycetes, 1 3 = a Pyrenomy cetes, 

 l0 =rr* Discomycetes, and GC, or above ±, Hymenomyeetes. In Mr. Cuming's collec- 

 tion there are no species of tile first, se'eond, and fifth Families ; of the remaining 

 Families 1=^. belongs to Gasteromycetes, 5=£ are Pyrenomycetes, and 33, or more 

 than ;, are Hymenomyeetes. It will be observed that the proportion of Pyreno- 

 myert.s is the same, and there is even a greater proportion of Hymenomyeetes in the 

 Philippines. Of the Hymenomyeetes in Java, 40 are Polypori ; in the Philippines, 19, 

 taking the genus in its widest sense. There is now an opportunity of contrasting with 

 these the Fungi of Cuba, which have been so well worked out by Dr. Montagne. 

 The species of that island, as tar as at present recorded, are 115, of which 4 =T5 V°are 

 Comomvcetes, 10=-jL Hyphomycetes, 9=-^ Gasteromycetes, 25=£ Pyrenomycetes, 

 ?=A Discomycetes, and 59— i Hymenomyeetes. The proportion of Pyrenomycetes 

 i- nearly the same as in Java and the Philippines, and the predominance of Hymeno- 

 myeetes is equally striking. Of this number 28, or 4,, are European species ; whereas 

 anion- the Philippine Fungi there are but 2, while in Java there are 42. Of these the 

 greater pari are very common species. With the exception of European species, 5 

 only are common to Cuba and Java, and 4 to Cuba and the Philippines ; and these, 

 with one exception. Bpedes universally distributed. The species which forms an excep- 

 tion ,s Micropeltis applanata, which, as it is a minute Epiphyllous plant, may possibly 

 have been overlooked in other countries. The number of Fungi peculiar to Cuba is very 

 large. ( aba, then, has but little in common with Java and the Philippines, when the 

 cosmorohtesand European species are excepted. Several species, however, are identical 

 With those of North and South America, extending in one instance even as far as Juan 

 J i rnandez; and thee are one or two isolated species which call to mind Mauritius, 

 lev lo„ and Australia. The genua Polyporus, as usual, predominates, counting 31 spe- 

 cies, ot which 8 are European ; or, if Favolus and Hexagonia be included, the number 



r,,n„!ri "'I' !"' " ,,wrved t,mt j n l . he list of ^ n f ra S^ 11 below, the Discomycetes and Pyrenomycetes are 

 SEeKA.™* gr ° U1> " Dame Ascom * cetes - The ^comycetes correspond with the tliree 



