320 APPENDIX. No. XIV. 



the two which I have been unable to determine. Of the 

 new species two at least are very interesting, Agaricus 

 Feildeni and Urnula Hartii. The former belongs to a 

 group very little understood, and I have, therefore, to regret 

 that the specimens were so roughly dried that some of the 

 characters are more or less obscure ; the latter is a new form 

 of the curious genus Urnula, Fr., and so exactly like the figure 

 in ' Flora Danica,' referred by Fries as a variety to Peziza 

 ciborium, that it is very probable that the Danish may be 

 identical with the Arctic plant. The occurrence of Chceto- 

 mium glabrum on the walls of the cabins of the ' Alert ' in 

 such abundance is very curious. In this country it is widely 

 diffused not only on papered walls, but on bare stone, 

 basket-work, &c., and it is remarkable that the sporidia are 

 notably smaller in the Arctic specimens. Agaricus Feildeni, 

 which occurred several times, is probably esculent, as is cer- 

 tainly the case with Russula integra. I ought, perhaps, to 

 apologise for describing A. sphcerosporus and A. Bello- 

 tianus from single specimens, but the characters are such 

 as to separate them from all allied species which have been 

 previously described. 



There are two observations which it is but justice to add 

 to the above notes. It is absolutely necessary to take into 

 consideration the extreme difficulty under which collectors 

 labour in Polar regions. The room on board is necessarily 

 very limited, and the damp atmosphere of the cabins pecu- 

 liarly unfavourable to drying plants, added to which the 

 numerous matters constantly in hand make it impossible to 

 change the drying papers frequently enough to insure the 

 absorption of all the moisture, without which specimens 

 never turn out in good condition. 



It was, moreover, impossible to give any information as 

 to the edible qualities of any species which occurred, as the 

 number of individuals was extremely small and sometimes 

 confined to a single specimen. The wonder is that, under 

 the circumstances, so much was done in a department which 

 presents peculiar difficulties. 



