334 



Mdssee : Coprophilons Fungi. 



in being edible, its qualities in this respect being such that an old 

 author has described it as being- food for the gods. This fungus 

 occurs in France, Germany, in fact extends quite across Europe,, 

 and is also met with in North America and India, high up on the 

 Himalayas. Numerous similar problems could be given relating 

 to large species of fungi that could scarcely be overlooked. 



Finally, most of all yet remains to be done in the important 

 section of work dealing with the why and wherefore of the 

 existence of fungi ; the causes that led up to parasitism ; tracing 

 the genetic relationship between the various forms constituting 

 an entity in the species of Uredineae, etc. Much work bearing 

 on these problems can be done best in the field, or at all events 

 field work carefully and systematically carried out often suggests 

 problems that are afterwards cleared up in the laboratory. 



As a single example — a French mycologist had observed in 

 the field that certain fungi were constantly eaten by slugs, 

 whereas other equally abundant species were never eaten by 

 mollusks. He further noted that in certain species it was always 

 the stem that was eaten, whereas in others the pileus was the part 

 constantly preferred. Further research revealed the fact that the 

 presence of one or more forms of sugar was present in all the 

 species eaten by slugs and snails, and that the location of these 

 substances in the stem or pileus respectively determined the 

 portion to be eaten. 



The main object of this talk, which has been delayed thus 

 far, is to intimate to members of the Union that a hitherto 

 comparatively unworked field of research requires attention. 

 I allude to Coprophilous, or dung-borne fungi. 



Now it is just probable that there will be a feeling of repug- 

 nance at the idea of the very close contact w T ith dung necessary 

 for the- detection of very minute fungi. This, however, is purely 

 a matter of sentiment, and is soon waived aside when once the 

 study is entered upon in real earnest. 



Continental mycologists have been much more industrious 

 than ourselves in prosecuting this special branch of study, and 

 it may perhaps be as well to state that the little that is known 

 of the occurrence of these- minute organisms in this country has 

 been done outside Yorkshire. This is. not quite what one would 

 wish, and it rests mainly with the members ot the Union to 

 reverse the statement. 



That there is work to be done in this direction is proved by 

 the fact that, due to the discovery of an interesting fungus on 

 rabbit dung, collected in Mulgrave Woods during our last 



Naturalist, 



