190 



Mycologia 



fixed his attention on fungi. Early in 1848, he writes Tucker- 

 man as follows : 



Society Hill, S. Car., Jan: 17th 1848 



Dear Sir: 



Yours of the 3d inst : reached me today, forwarded from 

 Hillsborough, N. Car ; — I removed here last April. 



Since I last heard from you I have devoted my researches ' 

 chiefly to Fungi — though I do not neglect the Lichens. For 

 some time I continued to collect the latter very vigorously, 

 but gradually became more fond of the former, until they 

 have come to absorb pretty much all my attention. 



That his study of fungi had been productive is evidenced by 

 the publication in November, 1848, of his first mycological paper. 

 In the introduction to this paper, Curtis gives a resume of early 

 mycological work in America and concludes as follows (4, p. 

 351): 



At present I do not know that any American botanist is 

 giving this obscure but interesting order any special atten- 

 tion, except H. W. Ravenal, Esq., of South Carolina, and 

 myself. 



In the present paper are enumerated two decades of Fungi 

 not before included in any American publication, and one of 

 new species. They are taken at random from lists of several 

 hundred, which will be published from time to time here- 

 after. To acknowledge a heavy debt of obligation, and to 

 insure to the following list an authority which I could not 

 myself give it, I must here state that nearly all the species 

 have passed under the eye of my very attentive and generous 

 correspondent, Mr. Berkeley. 



Joint Work with Berkeley 



The collaboration of Berkeley and Curtis to which the para- 

 graphs just quoted are the first published reference, was not only 

 profitable to both correspondents concerned but most advan- 

 tageous to the progress of mycology, especially in America. That 

 Curtis transmitted to Berkeley not only his own collections but 

 fungi sent him by various American correspondents, notably, 

 Ravenel, Michener, Peters, Sprague, Wright, Murray, Russell, 

 Blake, Morse, and Sartwell, is evident from published references 



