278 Notes anu Comments. 



should be more widely understood. The idea that fungi are 

 highly nutritious originated in the fact that analyses have shown 

 them to contain a relatively large proportion of nitrogenous 

 compounds. It was formerly customary to assume that the 

 total amount of nitrogen present represented " crude Protein," 

 the valuable formative constituent of such foods as meat, fish, 

 beans, etc., hence it is chiefly as a proteid or " flesh-forming " 

 food that fungi have been recommended. Summarising the 

 results obtained from the analysis of various edible fungi, 

 and comparing them with other foods, it is obvious that 

 mushrooms can in no sense be regarded as substitutes for 

 flesh-forming foods such as meat. It may be noted that the 

 common mushroom (Agaricus campestris) is richest in proteid 

 substances of all the species examined. Even so, however, 

 its proteid content is no higher than that of cabbage or potatoes, 

 and in total nutritive value it is far inferior to the latter on 

 account of its poorer carbohydrate content.' 



BRISTOL NATURALISTS. 



We are glad to see from the last three parts of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Bristol Naturalists' Society that our Bristol 

 friends pay particular attention to their district, though 

 occasionally the papers are of more general interest or do not 

 bear upon the Bristol area. Among the contributions we 

 notice ' Two Blastoids from Somerset ' (which have found 

 their way to London), by Dr. F. A. Bather ; Bristol Diptera, 

 by H. J. Charbonnier ; Silurians of the Eastern Mendips, by 

 Prof. S. H. Reynolds ; Bristol Botany, by Miss I. M. Roper ; 

 Bird Notes, by Mr. D. Munro Smith ; Lists of Local Geological 

 Publications, 1875-1913, by Prof. S. H. Reynolds and Mr. 

 J. E. Livingstone ; ' Fifty Years of Bristol Botany,' by Mr. 

 J. W. White ; ' Fifty Years of Bristol Entomology,' by Messrs. 

 A. E. Hudd and G. C. Griffiths ; ' Fifty Years of Bristol Zoo- 

 logy,' by Mr. H. J. Charbonnier ; ' Fifty Years of Bristol 

 Geology,' by Prof. S. H. Reynolds ; List of Bristol Mycetozoa, 

 by Miss A. Fry, and the Carboniferous Limestone of Over and 

 Tytherington, by Prof. Reynolds and Mr. D. E. Innes. 



THE NEGLECT OF SCIENCE. 



We have received a valuable Report of a Committee dealing 

 with the above subject, signed by Sir E. Ray Lankester, Mr. 

 A. S. E. Ackermann and Prof. R. A. Gregory. From this we 

 learn that ' Several communications have been received from 

 organizations concerned with professional aspects of education, 

 and the Committee has been able to afford assistance to such 

 bodies in the way of providing information. The Committee 

 is of the opinion, however, that its activities are best limited 

 to the advocacy of adequate attention to the natural sciences 

 in the public schools and at Oxford and Cambridge, and to 



Naturalist. 



