364 



NA TURE 



\_Feb. 17, 1887 



admit of being clearly traced in parti :ular instances, where 

 we have to do with all the other elements in the complex 

 of living material. 



The main question, however, with which Mr. Spencer 

 is concerned is as to the place which should be assigned 

 to use and disuse as factors of organic evolution. This 

 long-standing question is one of fundamental importance 

 to the whole philosophy of evolution ; and as it has now 

 reached a critical phase, the publication of Mr. Spencer's 

 essay furnishes a fitting opportunity for considering its 

 present position in all its bearings. This, therefore, we 

 shall endeavour to do at an early date, in the form of 

 a general article dealing with all the more important 

 literature upon the subject. George J. Romanes 



TEXT-BOOK OF BRITISH FUNGI 



An Elementary Text-book of British Fungi. By William 



Delisle Hay, F.R.G.S. Royal 8vo, cloth, illustrated. 



(London : Swan Sonnenschein, Lowrey, and Co., 



1887.) 

 A^rE have little sympathy with such publishers as 

 produce books written " to order " for the purpose 

 of utilising illustrations, or matching. Still, we cannot 

 help feeling some sympathy with, and pity for, the poor 

 unfortunate who is called upon to perform such an un- 

 thankful office as the preparation of "copy." Insofar 

 as the book before us corresponds with such conditions 

 our author commands our sympathy, perhaps he deserves 

 it, for even in the preface he seems to fall on his knees , 

 and sue, in forma pauperis, for pity from readers and 

 critics alike. There is doubtless a history connected 

 with this volume. The woodcut blocks which accom- 

 pany the text, but do not illustrate it, formerly did 

 duty in the " Hand-book of Fungi " published more than 

 fifteen years ago. In the way of business they were 

 transferred, and, in order to utilise them, the " Text-book ' ' 

 seems to have been projected. There are 64 pages of 

 figures and I238 pages of letterpress, but only about 16 

 pages of the plates have anything to do with the letter- 

 press, and are not even mentioned, so that there are no 

 less than upwards of 40 plates which are supplementary to 

 the letterpress, and have nothing whatever to do with it, 

 except to increase the bulk of the book. We do not 

 know what purchasers would expect to meet with in " an 

 elementary text-book of British fungi," but we suspect 

 that they would scarcely be satisfied with a " treatise 

 on edible and poisonous fungi," or, as set forth in the 

 preface, an attempt " to cover as comprehensively and 

 accurately as possible the entire subject of fungi, con- 

 sidered as aliment." Indeed, it would have been more 

 correct to call this " An Elementary Text-book of some 

 Species of British Fungi." 



The professed object of this book, in so far as its writer 

 was concerned, was to present a guide, which above all 

 things should be safe and trustworthy, on the subject of 

 fungus-eating — " so far as toadstool-eating goes," he 

 writes, " I believe I have a right to speak with authority " — 

 and hence if this professed object is not attainel, the 

 book must be confessedly a failure. " For the most part,' ' 

 he says, " subsequent authors have added little to what 

 Dr. Badham had advanced." The inference must be that 



he was ambitious of making a considerable advance, 

 " directed and inspired by a wide acquaintance with 

 mycological literature." After this spontaneous confession 

 it is surprising to find him stating as a fact that " some 

 four hundred and fifty species of the genus Agaricus are 

 recorded as occurring in Great Britain," on the faith of 

 a work published now sixteen years ago ; his know- 

 ledge of mycological literature having stopped short 

 of the fact that nearly 700 species have already been 

 figured, and the latest work on British fungi records 782 

 species as British, so that the total is nearly double that 

 which his " wide acquaintance with mycological literature " 

 had revealed to him. Leaving, however, such trivial 

 details, let us turn to the " Comprehensive Catalogue of 

 Esculent British Fungi." The first thought is naturally 

 one of order. To assist in reference, and in producing 

 favourable results, one would have hoped to see some 

 method in the grouping of the 221 supposed esculent 

 species. Scientific method there is none, for the white- 

 spored, pink-spored, and brown-spored Agarics are jumbled 

 together in glorious confusion. This would be tolerable 

 if in compensation the species had only been grouped in 

 sequence, or in sections according to their esculent value, 

 but even this has not been done. In two or three instances, 

 however, the species of a given genus are classed in the 

 alphabetical order of their specific names. 



Space will not permit of our remarking upon all the 

 individual species included in this miscellaneous list of 

 fungi recommended for common consumption by one who 

 " believes he has a right to speak with authority." For 

 ourselves, we should not have recommended Agaricus 

 asper,iox with considerable experience we do not remem- 

 ber to have met with it but once in thirty years ; nor 

 Agaricus ccesareus, for we venture to declare that it has 

 never been found in the British Islands at all, and the same 

 must be said of Polyporus corylinus and Polyporus 

 tuberaster. Why, then, are they included in a " Catalogue 

 of Esculent British Fungi " .' Worse still — because far 

 more dangerous — why are such species included as Agari- 

 cus sinuatus, which nearly killed Mr. Worthington Smith, 

 and Lactarius piperatus, Lactarius turpis, and Lactarius 

 torminosus .' If there are such things as dangerous fungi 

 at all, these are of them. If this writer is really acquainted 

 with these species, and pronounces them edible, let him 

 eat them and enjoy them, but not recommend them to 

 an unsuspecting public. It is our firm and conscien- 

 tious belief that a book which seriously recommends such 

 things as articles of food might produce calamitous 

 results, if widely circulated, or even, if not, in the event of 

 other books or journals repeating upon its authority that 

 these may be eaten. We read in the preface these 

 significant words : " It has never been my privilege, as yet, 

 to meet with any person versed in mycology from whom I 

 could derive instruction." When the writer meets with 

 such persons we advise him to propose to them an experi- 

 ment in eating Lactarius piperatus, or Lactarius tormin- 

 osus, or even Agaricus sitiuatus, and we rather fancy 

 that such mycologists will have but little faith in his 

 practical mycology. We sincerely hope that he will not 

 meet with " persons versed in mycology " for the first time 

 in a coroner's court, over a case of poisoning induced by 

 his recommendations. It would have given infinitely 

 more satisfaction, and been far safer for his reputation, 



