age te 
er 
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ee ee es ES Oe ee a 
MORDECAI CUBITT COOKE 61 
When conducting his botanical classes in the late fifties, 
Cooke sometimes took his pupils for country rambles in order to 
give them practical demonstrations on wild flowers, and some of 
British plants, by organised excursions into the country, the 
interchange of specimens, the munication of be mers and the 
establishment of a library, bites ach and museum”; of it Cooke 
was the first and only President. Excursions were s held during the 
summer on alternate ny phase aie and fortnightly meet- 
ings on Wednesday evenings. According to Mr. W. G. Smith,* 
Cooke at that time had noticed the fungi but little; he collected 
en studied the microfungi and was very keen on all animate 
ubjects : he captured toads, frogs, ni and paki: He was 
an inveterate smoker, and when he was not ee at his pipe 
€ was singing. The Society at blest time numbered about 
fifty members, and its meetings and excursions wail well attended. 
an active force in promoting the study of roe botany, was one 
of the members, among whom were some whose names have 
become funila in the botanical wed W. T.. ‘T.: Dyer, 
, H. Trimen and the Editor of this Journal—and 
others bag po Mie among them A. B. Cole, James Collins, 
Harland Coultas, A. Grugeon, Robert eetetrn| James Irvine, 
2 males nd W. W. eeves: Berthold Seemann and 
would be of srroatae service to them than the re 
pretentious Royal “parent zee Society.. The suggestion fell on 
ertile ground, and mainly through the efforts of Cooke, the 
Quekett Microscopical Club was formed. Cooks Pot one of the 
two Mont Seccnantn and to the first number of the club journal 
* Gard. Chron. 1914, ii. 356. 
