72 



appointed to consider the matter were likely to arrive at a working 

 agreement. The Watsonian County and Vice-County sj^stem ap- 

 peared to be a sound one, but others had been put forward, and 

 there was a likelihood of a compromise. 



Mr. Harold Wager read a paper on " The Study of Fungi by 

 Local Natural History Societies," which was illustrated by a 

 number of very beautiful and instructive drawings prepared by 

 Mrs. T. R. E. Stebbing, Mrs. W. P. D. Stebbing, and Messrs. 

 Peck, Clarke, and Crossland. He referred to the large field opened 

 by the study of fungi, their beautiful forms, and the desirability of 

 making accurate drawings of any unusual species found. There 

 were many important problems connected with the study of fungi, 

 and there were yet many of them to be worked out ; information in 

 regard to habitat and nature of a species and its association with 

 other species would be useful. There is also ample work to be 

 done among the micro-fpngi, w^hich should be studied as living 

 organisms, and their life-histories are of more importance than their 

 classification. Touching upon the utilitarian aspect, he mentioned 

 that there were some seventy or eighty species of edible fungi, but 

 it was the connection of fungi with decay, their destructive effects 

 upon timber, and their production of disease in animals and plants, 

 that opened up the great field for useful study. 



A long discussion followed, in the course of which Prof. M. C. 

 Potter considered the subject was one that might well be taken up, 

 in any of its branches, by local Societies ; they would no doubt 

 need a guiding hand, but there was no dearth of books on the 

 subject that would be a help to them. Miss Lorrain Smith said the 

 study would be found most fascinating, but it should be based on 

 an accurate knowledge of what had already been done, and not 

 taken up in a haphazard way. Miss H. C. I. Fraser heartily supported 

 Mr. Wager's paper. She said the internal structure of fungi needed 

 careful study, which should be encouraged, and the smaller fungi 

 especially would be found very interesting. She suggested the 

 desirability of some central authority to correlate the work of local 

 societies. Sir Daniel Morris, as an instance of damage caused by 

 fungi, said that Enani/miis japonica was introduced into England as 

 an ornamental shrub about a hundred years ago and flourished 

 exceedingly until some ten years since, when its leaves began to be 

 attacked by a disease, which gave them much the appearance of 

 having been whitewashed, and which had spread all along the south 

 coast. This had recently been found to be caused by a fungus. 

 Mr. Cheesman thought the study of fungi important, especially 



