264 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



REVIEW. 



Illustrations of British Fungi, by M. C. Cooke, M.A., LL.D., 8 

 volumes, Williams and Norgate, London. The Handbook of British 

 Fungi, Second Edition, Parts i., ii., and iii., by M. C. Cooke, M.A., 

 LL.D., Williams and Norgate. 



This fine work, " Illustrations of British Fungi," has occupied 

 fully ten years in publication, and forms the first part of an Atlas to 

 Dr. Cooke's revised edition of the " Handbook of British Fungi." It 

 was originally intended to include representatives of all the Hymen- 

 omycetous Fungi found in the British Isles, but the issue is for the 

 present arrested with the completion of the Agaricini, owing to the 

 death of many subscribers, and the indisposition of others to continue 

 their support to the end. 



The work contains 1,200 coloured plates, representing 1,400 

 species and numerous varieties, many of which are figured for the 

 iirst time ; it is unquestionably the finest series of drawings of 

 Agaricini that has been published in any part of the world. The 

 plates are beautifully drawn and not over-coloured, the original 

 drawings having in nearly every instance been made and coloured for 

 the printer by the author, while the printing, of the later portion of 

 the work more particularly, is nearly all that could be desired by the 

 most exacting. 



Sowerby's coloured figures of British Fungis, commenced in 

 1797, contained only 165 species of Agaricini, while the larger and 

 more recent work of Krombholz only gives 230 : the present work, 

 which is restricted to the species found in the British Isles, comprises 

 fully one-fourth of all known species : it is therefore not surprising to 

 find that the work has received a large measure of support in British 

 colonies and foreign countries. 



When the putrescible nature of most of the Agaricini is con- 

 sidered, and the paucity of opportunities for close observation of 

 many species is taken into account, it will appear to be no cause for 

 wonder that differences of opinion exist as to the specific validity of 

 many forms, and the right identification of others. The author has, 

 however, succeeded in reducing errors of this kind to a minimum, 

 and the wonder is, not that a few errors have crept into the work, 

 but that they are net vastly more numerous. 



The descriptive portion of the work forms parts 1, 2, and 3, of 

 second edition of the " Handbook of British Fungi; " the descriptions 

 although brief are remarkably lucid and easily understood. In some 

 instances, however, it is matter for regret that synonyms are not 

 more freely given. 



While the completion of the Agaricini affords good ground for 

 congratulation, it is certainly cause for regret that the whole of the 

 gill-bearing fungi of the British Isles are not represented : Boletus, 

 Polyporus, Ilydaum, Auricidaria, Clavaria, Tremella, are not nearly as 



