CLASSIFICATION, — 499 
with many others. The following are the technical characters 
of the family :— 
Fruit consisting of sporidia, mostly definite, contained in asci, 
springing from a naked or enclosed stratum of fructifying celcs 
and forming a hymenium or nucleus = ASCOMYCETES. 
If the characters of the different families are borne in mind, 
there will be but little difficulty in assigning any fungus to the 
order to which it belongs by means of the foregoing remarks. 
For more minute information, and for analytical tables of the 
families, orders, and genera, we must refer the student to some 
special systematic work, which will present fewer difficulties, if 
he keeps in mind the distinctive features of the families.* 
To assist in this we have given on the following page an 
analytical arrangement of the families and orders, according 
to the system recognized and adopted in the present volume. 
It is, in all essential particulars, the method adopted in our 
“Handbook,” based on that of Berkeley’s “Introduction” and 
“ Outlines.” 
* Berkeley, M. J., ‘‘ Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany,”’ London, 1857 ; 
Cooke, M. C., ‘‘ Handbook of British Fungi,” London, 1871; Corda, A. C. J., 
*‘Anleitung zum Studium der Mycologie,”’ Prag, 1842; Kickx, J., ‘‘ Flore 
Cryptogamique des Flanders,’ Gand, 1867 ; Fries, E., ‘‘ Systema Mycologicum,” 
Lund, 1830; Fries, E., ‘‘Summa Vegetabilium Scandinavie,” 1846; Secretan, 
L., ‘‘Mycographie Suisse,” Geneva, 1833; Berkeley, M. J., “Outlines of 
British Fungology,” London, 1860. 
