PREFACE. 
I pusLishep a work in the year 1866 entitled Morphology and Physiology 
of the Fungi, Lichens and Myxomycetes as the second volume of Hofmeister’s 
Handbook of Physiological Botany. This work was intended to give a systematic 
and critical account of the state of our knowledge of the portions of natural history 
indicated by the title at that time. It had its mistakes and its deficiencies; theindex _ 
too was omitted, but for this I was not responsible. At the same time it was 
not without its value; it paved the way for further advances and was favourably 
received. i + 
Some years ago I was urged by many persons to prepare a new edition of my ” 
work. Other occupations and duties long prevented me from setting about this task 
and interrupted and delayed it repeatediy after it had been begun; and when 
I addressed myself more closely to the work some four years ago, it soon became 
apparent that a new edition in the strict sense of the word would not satisfy modern 
requirements. Hence the progress of the work resulted in the production of a new 
book, which can only be partially regarded as a new edition of the earlier one, though 
this for brevity’s sake is always cited in the present work as the first edition, 
The reasons for the change had their origin in the considerable additions to the 
material to be discussed. Eighteen years ago it was comparatively easy to give 
a detailed description of the state of our knowledge of the morphology and physiology 
of the Fungi within a moderate compass. Since that time the amount of matter has 
increased greatly, and with it the number of questions and controverted points which 
have to be considered; an account which is not to be confined within the narrow 
limits of a text-book readily assumes large proportions and renders division of labour 
desirable. 
The physiology of the Fungi has received more comprehensive treatment than 
the morphology, partly in general treatises on vegetable physiology, those especially 
of Sachs and Pfeffer, and partly in the extensive modern literature of the chemistry 
of fermentation. There is no recent detailed critical survey of their morphology; 
in giving such a survey in the following pages, with brief allusions only to strictly 
physiological topics, I believe that I shall best meet both present requirements and 
the wishes of most of my readers. 
No comprehensive account of the morphology of any portion of the vegetable 
kingdom, and least of all of the Fungi, can be satisfactory without constant reference 
to the phenomena known as biological, that is to their habits of life and adaptations. 
