232 sowerby's models of British fungi. 



dust and small fragments such as could not be put together again. 

 In several instances sections of agarics, &c, only exist as models, 

 whilst on turning to Sowerby's corresponding plates the general 

 habit is given in one or more figures ; and it is not reasonable to 

 suppose that Sowerby, in illustrating fungi by models, would 

 confine himself to a mere section, such, for instance, as that of 

 Coprinus picaceus. A section only now exists of this species as a 

 model, and little or nothing can be learned from it. The characters 

 of C. picaceus exist in the external aspect, but as no model exists of 

 the general form of this and some others, it is only reasonable to 

 suspect a series of unfortunate and hopeless mycoclysms in times 

 now past. One of the most remarkable changes undergone by the 

 models during the last hundred years has been the change of 

 colour, for Sowerby seems to have used such an uncommonly bad 

 white colour, that all his snow-whites had changed to coal-blacks, 

 or something near it. His sulphur-yellows and some of his pale 

 blues had also become jet-black, and some of his purples had 

 become green. This change of colour was very puzzling and 

 indeed misleading for beginners, and I can well remember how it 

 confused my mind some twenty or thirty years ago. Agaricm sul- 



" all jet-black. 



is now called 

 (JEtJialium), was jet-black; but the "changes of colour were too 

 numerous to mention, for none of the colours remained right, and 

 some of the colour-changes were startling. The plates in Sowerby's 



phureus, A. maximus, and A. odor us, and others were i 

 Cortinarius violaceus was green. Fuligo varians, as it i 



volumes are better; but even there the whites have, in some 

 instances, changed to dark grey, and other changes, too familiar to 

 artists, may be noted. 



An attempt has now been made to set matters a little right, 

 as the models have not only been repainted, but all the names 

 have been looked to, and the plants are arranged in botanical 

 sequence according to modern ideas. It is remarkable that 

 Sowerby, who was able to produce such really excellent models, 

 was so hopelessly lost when he mounted his models, for he appears 

 to have merely fixed them on to sanded blocks of wood or cork, and 

 surrounded them, as an ornament, with real moss ; the absurdity 

 of this mode of mounting will be apparent, when I say that the 

 truffle and other subterranean fungi were so treated and so moss- 

 surrounded. Coprinus nivem, admirably modelled in itself, appeared 

 as springing from a squared block of sandstone instead of from 

 horse-dung. Peziza vesiculosa was growing on an oblong block of 

 wood. A " natural " mounting has now been adopted, and real 

 dead branches, dead leaves, old tan, horse-dung, beech-nuts, acorns, 

 fir-cones, &c, employed as surroundings of the fungi; this gives 

 them a much more bright and natural appearance, so that the 

 fungus-models have become serious rivals in point of beauty of 

 form, colour, and general surroundings, to the humming-birds 

 themselves in the gallery below. 



The work of painting these models was full of surprises ; for 

 instance, the Typhulas were found to be made of wire ; some of the 

 stems of the Agarics are made of wood or cane ; the Clavarias are 



