deterndainy the more niiinitc species witliont any notion of 

 their characters, variations, and structure, will end in nothing 

 sound and satisfactory, while few exercises of the mental powers 

 can be more improving than a diligent study of such a genus 

 as Agaricus. 



I wish it to be understood distinctly that 1 have not aimed 

 at originality in defining the genera and species, but have 

 adopted the best characters wherever I could find them, and 

 I regret that, from an accident in transmission, I have not 

 been able to avail myself of more than a small portion of 

 Fries's latest work on tlie Hymenomycetes, which is unpub- 

 lished. 



Of the figures it will be sufficient to say that the greater 

 part have been drawn by Mr. Fitch, whose talents as a 

 draughtsman are too well known to require any recommen- 

 dation. To Mr. Broome, who has for so many years been my 

 fellow-labourer, I have been indebted for much assistance in 

 the course of the work, as also to Mr. Currey. It is to their 

 labours principally that the enormous increase in the list of 

 Fungi since the publication of the 'English Flora' is due, 

 amounting now to more than 2,380 species. 



KiNa's Cliffe, 

 August, 1860. 



