Krieger: History of Mycological Illustration 323 



"Icones" (1905&) run a close second to the Tulasne chefs- 

 d'oeuvre. It is a positive delight to use them; indeed, were all 

 published plates like these, there would be little question as to the 

 identity of species. In nearly every case he gives the plant in 

 different stages of development; the sectional views are always 

 included, as are also the microscopic details (PI. 30). Only 125 

 copies were printed, of which 115 were sold to the original sub- 

 scribers. Eight copies were subscribed for in the United States. 

 The subscription price for the entire work of three atlas volumes 

 and one of text was $210.00. Today, the price is rapidly ap- 

 proaching $500.00. 



Since the appearance of 'Boudier's masterpiece one other color- 

 illustrated work of scientific importance has been published, 

 namely, Rev. Adalbert Ricken's " Die Blatterpilze Deutschlands " 

 (1910c). 'Boudier and Ricken are illustrations of the statement 

 I made earlier, that the lithographic process, though producing the 

 most durable results, has to contend with two variable factors, 

 the artist and the lithographer. Given a good artist and a good 

 lithographer, you get such work as Boudier's ; with poor work- 

 men, both on the paper and on the stone, you get Ricken's well- 

 meant, but puerile, illustrations. 



In conclusion, I would like to point out how little has been done 

 in this country in the matter of publishing colored illustrations 

 of our rich fungous flora. 



First, we have de Schweinitz's early work (1822), already 

 mentioned, with exactly two plates. Following him came the 

 Rev. M. A. Curtis, who was urged by Asa Gray (1868a) to 

 prepare a manual of the fungi of the United States. Nothing 

 came of this. But, that Curtis seriously entertained the idea of 

 publishing some comprehensive, illustrated manual of these plants, 

 appears from statements made by E. R. Memminger (1905c) to 

 the effect that Curtis actually left a fragmentary manuscript with 

 illustrations. This is still in the possession of his children. 



Indeed, the only atlas of colored illustrations of the commoner 

 species of our fleshy fungi is the one published by the late Prof. 

 Charles Horton Peck (1895c?), who, for upwards of forty years, 

 was the State Botanist of New York. Professor Peck's illustra- 



