Eeports of Societies. 



71 



cinnamon. During the day, at Beckwithshaw, the beautiful Agaricus 

 rosellus was found, also Hypomyces rosellus, a quantity of the edible 

 Helvella crispa, and, close to Harrogate, Peziza aurantia, as well as sixty 

 more species of more or less interest. The last four miles of the return to 

 Harrogate Station, were enlivened by an argument on the merits and 

 demerits of Schwendener's famous algo-lichen theory, with the usual 

 result of each disputa-nt remaining " of his own opinion still." The Ripon 

 party was headed by Mr. Plowright and Mr. Vize, and guided by the 

 Rev. H. H. Slater, B.A., F.Z. S., through the woods and grounds of 

 Studley Royal. The numerous interesting species found, included 

 Agaricus (Tricholoma) paneeolus, a species which was found for the first 

 time in Britain, in 1875, at Street, in Somerset, next a few weeks ago, in 

 Norfolk, and now in Yorkshire. The Rev. Mr. Summerfield soon lighted 

 upon a magnificent specimen of another species, A. (Lepiota) Bucknalii, 

 which had only previously been found by Mr. Biicknall, at Clifton, 

 and shortly afterwards, upon A. pisciodorus and Geaster fimbriatus, 

 while Mr. Alfred Denny found Agaricus dryimus upon an oak tree. 

 Hygrophorus puniceus, H. fornicatus, H. cossus, H. unguinosus, 

 Agaricus seminudus, Marasmius erythropus, Polyporus giganteus, 

 and P. csesius, as well as about 120 other species were also collected. 

 Saturday was devoted to the ''show," at which, nearly 200 of the 

 300 species noted at the excursions or sent in by members for 

 exhibition, were displayed on tables, named and arranged in 

 systematic order. The members of the Union had rii^iit well responded 

 to the demand for plenty of specimens, from every part of the county of 

 York, and the result was, that from innumerable localities, scattered over 

 the whole of Yorkshire, many thousands of fungi were sent in. So large 

 was the bulk, that the picking out of suitable specimens, for the show, was 

 no light task for the Union's mycological guests, and occupied them the 

 whole of Friday evening, and from 7 to 12 on Saturday forenoon. The 

 typical specimens having been picked out, the bulk of the fungi were left 

 in the work room, a few specimens of the ''stinkhorn" (Phallus impu- 

 dicus), leavening the whole mass with their peculiarly strong smell, 

 justifying a remark, that it was no phallus-y to say that an odour was 

 given oif by the heap of decaying fungi. The only drawback to the 

 complete success of the whole series of meetings is, that it was not 

 -possible — in fact, it was absolutely impossible — to secure the full benefits 

 of the consignments sent in, from the reason that there were but three 

 gentlemen present (Messrs. Phillips, Plowright, and Massee), who were 

 competent to make out the locality lists from the difl'^rent parcels sent^ 

 and their time was fully occupied by picking out the general series for 

 exhibition. In addition to this, a fungus show was so much of a novelty 

 to the executive officers of the Union, that the precise manner of arranging 

 was quite new to them. However, the insight they obtained, into details 

 of arrangement, make it almost certain that at a future foray (if such a 

 one be held, and there was a strong feeling that there should be one next 



