'77 



NEW BRITISH DISCOMYCETES. 



PART I. 



GEORGE MASSEE, F.R.M.S., F.L.S., 

 Royal Herbarium, Keiv, 

 AND 



CHARLES CROSSLAND, F.L.S., 



Halifax ; Hon. Sec. Yorkshire Mycological Committee. 



Although the primary object of this communication is to place 

 on record those Discomycetes that have been added to the 

 British Mycologic Flora since the publication of the latest 

 work on the group, * the opportunity will be taken to summarise 

 very briefly the leading- features presented by this very beautiful 

 family of fungi, and also of indicating the latest sources of 

 information dealing with the subject, in the hope that some 

 amongst the members of the Union who have not as yet taken 

 up the study of any special group may be induced to turn their 

 attention to the family under consideration. 



The number of British species is sufficient to occupy the 

 spare moments of any person for a lifetime. In 1836 Berkeley! 

 described 144 species; in 187 1 Cooke 1 described 293 species; in 

 1887 Phillips^ described 607 species; while in the latest book on 

 the subject"'" 660 species are recorded. From the above state- 

 ment it will be seen that, including the fungi indicated in the 

 present contribution, over 60 species have been added to the 

 British Flora during the last thirteen years, and amongst these 

 many were new to science. It is further of interest to note that 

 only eight persons have been concerned in the work of thus 

 adding to our flora ; and, finally, five of these persons are 

 members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union ; a sixth, now, 

 alas ! no more, was also a member of the Union. A glance at 

 the results of the Union's annual fungus forays shows that the 

 discovery of species new to Britain will, in all probability, yet 

 continue to reward the patient investigator. 



* 'British Fungus-Flora, ' Vol. IV. (1895), by Geo, Massee. Bell & Sons, 

 Loudon. 



t 'English Flora,' W. J. Hooker, Vol. V., 'Fungi,' by M |. Berkeley 

 (1836). 



% 'Handbook of British Fungi,' b\ ML C. Cooke (1871). 



§'A Manual of the British Discomycetes,' by \V. Phillips. Kegan Paul, 

 Trench & Co. (1887). 



icjoi Juno 1. M 



