Some Mushrooms found in Canada. 1^>9 



have colored slides of the actual specimens found, but 

 have not been able to get them prepared. 



My brother, Sir William Van Home, made a few 

 photographs of some varieties, but the plates were not 

 available at the time these slides were prepared. He 

 has, however, made some very fine water-color draw- 

 ings of a number of plants, which, with some less per- 

 fect ones by my niece and myself, I have here to show 

 you. 



We found in trying to preserve specimens according 

 to the usual instructions for drying and pressing, or 

 preserving them in formaline, they lost so many of 

 their characteristics that they did not' pay for the 

 trouble, so have decided that the best way to preserve 

 a record of our work is: — 



First, to make a water-color drawing of the plant as 

 a whole, then of one or two sections. 



Second, to make a good spore-print. 



Third, to preserve a few spores on a glass slide for 

 the microscope. 



These with a written description are easily kept, and 

 if systematically followed, will, I^think, give a very 

 good record. 



The book by Mr. Mcllvaine is a very large one, des- 

 cribing one thousand species with many illustrations. 

 Of these one thousand species over seven hundred are 

 edible, the others included have been described chiefly 

 to warn the student against their use, or to make clear 

 the characteristics of the edible ones. 



I have given so much space to the books on Fungi, 

 because when we began the study there were so few 

 books available and we found it difficult to get any 

 practical information about them, but when once well 

 started, it was surprising to find how many persons 

 were interested in the subject. 



So far as I know there has been no record of re- 

 search in this branch of Botanical study in Canada, 

 except the publication of a "Preliminary List of 

 Fungi" in the Keport of the Natural History Society, 

 of New Brunswick, by G. IT. Hay, Esq., in 1900. This 



