204 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1183 



tions, evolution and ecological successions^ 

 can be viewed with a clear perspective, if 

 it is not the only scientifically accurate 

 point of view from which to attack such 

 problems. Henry D. Hookee, Je. 



OsBOKN Botanical Laboratoey, 

 Yale TJniversitt 



THE PECK TESTIMONIAL EXHIBIT OF 

 MUSHROOM MODELS 



It is peculiarly fitting at this time to de- 

 scribe rather briefly the exhibit of mushroom 

 models, recently installed in the State Museum 

 at Albany, N. Y., as a memorial to the life 

 and service of the late Charles Horton Peck, 

 state botanist of New York from 1867 to 1915, 

 a period of forty-eight years, aU except the last 

 two years having been spent in active service. 



The final installation of these remarkable 

 mushroom models was completed only a few 

 days prior to his death, which occurred on July 

 10, 1917. The models, fifty-seven in number 

 and representing fifty-five species of edible 

 and poisonous mushrooms, are the work of Mr. 

 Henri Marchand, an artist and sculptor of rare 

 ability. The models are made of wax from 

 casts in the field and reproduce with perfect 

 fidelity to nature, the form, coloring and habi- 

 tat of each species. 



Space need not be taken to enumerate the 

 entire list of species represented by the mod- 

 els, but the variety of form and color may be 

 suggested by the following species which are 

 represented in the collection. 



Poisonous : 



Amanita phalloides 



Amanita musoaria 



Clitocyhe illudens 



Eussula emetica 



Inocybe asterospora 

 Edible or Harmless: 



Amanita caesarea 



TricJioloma sejunctum 



Triclioloma personatum 



Bussida cyanoxantha 



Lepiota procera 



Lepiota naucina 



15 For an application of the principles enunci- 

 ated in this paper to plant ecology see G. Jj. Nich- 

 ols, Plant World, Sept., 1917. 



Agaricus campester 

 Agaricus arvensis 

 Coprinus comatus 

 Morchella deliciosa 

 Gyromitra esculenta 

 Sussula virescens 

 Strobilomyces strohilaceus 

 Pleurotus ostreatxis 

 Fistulina hepatica 

 Armillaria mellea 

 Boletus cyanescens 

 Polyporus sulphureus 



The services of Dr. Peck in the field of my- 

 cology are surpassed by no other American 

 student of fungi. His work, although not con- 

 fined to the fieshy fungi, is best known from 

 the hundreds of species which he has described 

 in the fleshy and woody groups of fungi (Agari- 

 cacese, Boletacese, Polyporacese, Hydnacese and 

 Clavariacese). 



Without the advantages of European travel 

 and study and frequently working without ac- 

 cess to the older European literature upon 

 fungi, his work stands out with conspicuous 

 individuality. That he has apparently de- 

 scribed in some cases, species already described 

 by the older mycologists of Europe is no reflec- 

 tion upon his remarkable ability in the dis- 

 cernment of specific and generic characters of 

 our native species. 



His work will stand for all time as the 

 foundation upon which later students of the 

 fungi may build with safety a more elaborate 

 morphological and systematic revision of the 

 fieshy and woody groups of fungi. 



Those friends, admirers and fellow botanists, 

 who have contributed toward bringing into 

 existence this testimonial exhibit of mush- 

 room models may well feel that there is no 

 more suitable memorial possible. There are 

 few pages of modern literature dealing vtdth 

 the fleshy and woody fungi that do not reflect 

 in some degree the individuality of Dr. Peck's 

 work, and looking at these models in the State 

 Museum, with their exquisite variety of form 

 and color, one may imagine with what pleasure 

 and appreciation they would be viewed by him 

 whom they memorialize. H. D. House 



State Museum, 

 Albany, N. Y. 



