PREFACE. 



Fungus eating is on the increase, thanks to Field 

 clubs and their fungus forays, but the complaint 

 has been heard for many years that no efficient hand- 

 book for the guidance of young or inexperienced 

 mycophagists could be found in the English language. 

 One or two laudable attempts have heen made, but 

 they have left much to be desired, and for the past 

 ten years my fungus eating friends have continued to 

 urge me, as one of the oldest of fungus eaters, to give 

 the results of my experience. Admirable as Dr 

 Badham's book was when published, and fully as it 

 answered its purpose then, no one will contend that it 

 is " up to date." However, the world is large enough 

 for both of us. The list given at the end will re- 

 present all the kinds that I remember to have eaten, 

 and as sixty-five will be considered sufficient to 

 establish my claim to be a fungus eater, it may also 

 be regarded as sufficient to exonerate me from any 

 charge of presumption or inexperience. It has 

 usually been the custom to include poisonous and 

 edible fungi in one book, but from this custom I have 

 diverged, for two or three reasons. It is not com- 

 mendable to popularize knowledge of vegetable 



