36 



Our President, Dr. Torrey, in the second 

 volume of the American Journal of Science, 

 has described a large subterranean fungus, 

 known in the southern states under the 

 name of Tuckahoe, or Indian Bread, and 

 designated by Dr. Torrey as the Sclerotium 

 giganteum. This was subsequently changed 

 by Mr. De Schweinitz to S. coccoes^ and this 

 latter name has been adopted by Fries in 

 his Systema. This singular fungus contains 

 according to the analysis of Dr. Torrey, that 

 peculiar coagulable acid, which promises to 

 be so useful in the arts. 



The principal laborer, however, in this 

 department, is Mr. De Schweinitz, unques- 

 tionably one of the first mycologists of the 

 age. This gentleman has enjoyed the ad- 

 vantage of a residence of several years in 

 Europe, and an acquaintance with the most 

 celebrated botanists of the continent ; and 

 on his return to this country, republished a 

 Synopsis of the Fungi of JSorth Carolina^ which 

 had previously appeared in the Acta Socie- 

 tatis naturae curiosorum of Leipsig. It con- 

 tains an enumeration of thirteen hundred 

 and seventy-five species, including a de- 



