3 1 8 The Museum Gazette 



were obtained by cutting up two copies of the " Guide to the 

 Sowerby Models of Fungi" in the depaitment of Botany 

 at the British Museum of Natural History. These guides,, 

 which can be obtained at the small outlay of fourpence each,, 

 contain some excellent woodcut illustrations. 



The diagrams of injurious fungi published by the Board 

 of Agriculture, Worthington Smith's plates of edible and 

 poisonous fungi, and many other coloured illustrations, were 

 placed on the walls. A microscope to demonstrate spores, 

 and several books, such as Massee's " British Fungus Flora,"" 

 the same author's " European Fungus Flora," and Steven- 

 son's " British Fungi," were placed on a table for the use 

 of visitors. 



The shed being roomy, several trestle tables were put up, 

 and in this way it was easy to demonstrate the main prin- 

 ciples of classification of fungi, one table (the largest,) being 

 reserved for white-spored agarics (Leticosfiom), another for 

 agarics with salmon colour or pink spores (Rhodosporce), and 

 so on for the five main groups of agarics. On each of these 

 tables cards showing the spore mass of some typical species 

 were placed. Another table contained the Gastromycetes, the 

 Ascomycetes were kept together on another, whilst a special 

 one was allotted to the Mycetozoa or Slime Fungi. 



It was found necessary to impress upon our young friends 

 that in collecting fungi they should not employ the same 

 methods which obtain when making a posy of wild flowers, 

 but always secure the entire plant. 



They soon learnt by experience that young plants are in 

 every w T ay preferable to old ones. For reasons stated in our 

 September issue, no special attempt was made to point out the 

 edible species, but the characteristics of the " Death-cup 

 Fungus (Amanita phalloides) and its allies were carefully noted, 

 and comparisons made between young plants of this species 

 and " button " field mushrooms. 



Amongst the many interesting species on view during the 

 month, we may mention : — 



