PREFACE 



IT is impossible to study the Fungi without being impressed by the 

 undiminished value of much of the older work, and especially of that 

 of de Bary, or without recognizing the soundness of his general and very 

 many of his particular conclusions in the light of subsequent investigation. 

 While I have tried to give something approaching adequate references to 

 recent literature, I have thought it superfluous to name the more general 

 works of those earlier authors who are quoted in de Bary's Comparative 

 Morphology of the Fungi, Mycetozoa and Bacteria and elsewhere. By such 

 investigations the foundations of modern mycology have been laid and their 

 discoveries have passed into the groundwork of our knowledge. 



The intention of the following pages is to present the fungus as a living 

 individual: the scope is mainly morphological, but, in dealing with objects 

 so minute, morphology passes insensibly into cytology. The introduction 

 deals with fungi in general ; the special part of this volume is limited to the 

 consideration of the Ascomycetes, Ustilaginales and Uredinales. The 

 manuscript was completed early in 1917, but an endeavour has been made 

 to bring it up to date. 



The majority of the illustrations are drawn from published researches, 

 and I have to thank those authors who have given me permission to copy 

 their figures. Illustrations, the source of which is not stated, are original. 

 In the case of original figures the magnification and the authority for the 

 species are given ; this has also been done in other cases whenever the 

 information was available. 



I am grateful to many past and present students for specimens and 

 information ; to Miss W. Page for figure 112; to Miss H. Tayler for reading 

 proofs; to Mr Charles Dobb for valuable help in the preparation of figures; 

 to Mr E. S. Salmon for advice on the section dealing with specialization of 

 parasitism ; and especially to my friends Miss E. J. Welsford and Mr J. 

 Ramsbottom for assistance in a number of ways. 



The earlier written parts of the book, and consequently the whole, owe 

 much to the unfailing interest and wise criticism of my husband. 



H. C. I. GWYNNE-VAUGHAN. 



LONDON, 



September, 1921 



