Parks : Notes on California Fungi 



13 



plorations extended all over this district, but with little results. 

 I became very much discouraged at repeated failures here, as I 

 had hope of securing some Tuberales and Boletes. Going over 

 this ground was exceedingly hard work. I was led to return to 

 this region mainly by noticing the work of the wood rats. And 

 it was by watching the holes dug into hard ground, often a foot 

 deep, that led finally to making some real discoveries. 



This locality yielded me some very good specimens for instruc- 

 tion work; especially was this true of the common Chanterelle. 

 This especially desirable fungus was absolutely unkown here until 

 I exhibited some specimens from the coast, where it is very abun- 

 dant. On this side of the mountains it is not very often found, 

 and I hunted several seasons for it, finally securing specimens at 

 Guadaloupe. Several fine species of Clavaria were also used for 

 exhibition and instruction, as they were also unknown here. 



I spent literally hours upon hands and knees in crawling 

 through thickets and raking over the leafy deposits, and on one 

 occasion I thus turned up a very peculiar specimen of Thelephora 

 which was sent to Professor Burt for determination, as no de- 

 scription could be found to fit it. This is an instance where no 

 definite location could be fixed that would be a guide to additional 

 material ; growing on the ground, covered with leaves and of 

 itself inconspicuous. 



On another day I came upon two specimens of Amanita grow- 

 ing close to the bole of a live-oak. They were exceptionally 

 large, and symmetrical in proportion. Tinged with crimson, they 

 seemed to fairly radiate with color. I turned them in as belong- 

 ing to the rubescens group, but from what descriptions were avail- 

 able they seem a new and distinct species. This difference from 

 pubhshed descriptions, or the entire lack of such descriptions, has 

 been one of the strong incentives to the work now in hand. 



Persistence had its reward, and on a trip to " The Call of the 

 Wild " in the Santa Cruz Mountains I came upon a grove of pines 

 in which a dense mat of debris had collected for years. I se- 

 cured some good material of Hydnangnim carneiim on top of the 

 ground, but under some six inches in this mat of needles. At the 

 same time I secured specimens of a form that will certainly puzzle 

 one when first found, for it has the appearance of a young Co- 



