FUNGUS FORAY AT ROKEBY. 



CHARLES CROSSLAND. 



The 13th Annual Fung-us Foray (the 184th Union Meeting-) was 

 held at Rokeby, W. North Riding-, 24th to 29th September, for 

 the investigation of Rokeby, Brignall Banks, Deepdale and 

 Pecknall. The headquarters were at the Morritt Arms Hotel, 

 Greta Bridge, in close proximity to Rokeby Park and woods. 

 The immediate vicinity on the banks of the Greta and the far- 

 famed Tees is a most charming district, made classic ground by 

 both Scott and Dickens. This somewhat remote Yorkshire locality 

 on the borders of Durham was selected at the last foray mostly 

 because up to that time W.N.R. had been almost entirely 

 neglected for its fungi. The only records, beyond a few solitary 

 instances, are those made by Mr. Gibbs at the Bowes Excursion, 

 August 1903 ('The Naturalist,' September 1903), when about 80 

 species were noted. Masham and Swinton had been worked, 

 certainly, but these places lie on the borders of the West Riding. 



The party assembled at the hotel on the Saturday afternoon, 

 and consisted of Harold Wager, F.R.S., Derby ; W. N. Chees- 

 man, F.L.S., Selby ; Thomas Gibbs, Wirksworth ; C. H. 

 Broadhead, Thongsbridge ; R. H. Philip, Hull; R. Gilchrist, 

 Scarborough; J. W^. H. Johnson, B.Sc, Thornhill ; J. J. 

 Burton, Nunthorpe ; and the writer. No addition was made 

 during the week. Mr. G. Massee, F.L.S., V.M.H., the Chair- 

 man of the Mycological Committee, and Mr. A. Clarke were 

 unfortunately unable to be present, and their absence was much 

 regretted. 



After dinner it was too late in the evening- to make any 

 attempt at collecting. Mr. Cheesman, however, had brought 

 some gatherings from Skipwith and Hemingborough, including 

 Schizophyllimi commune ; these, along with a basket of specimens 

 gathered by Mr. Johnson near Greta Bridge in the early part of 

 the day, sufficed for the evening's inspection and discussion. 



The somewhat long spells of fine weather had caused some 

 doubts to arise as to whether the harvest of fungi would be 

 a good one. In any case the district is so lovely and of such a 

 pastoral and woodland a nature that, had no work been found 

 to do, which is almost out of the question with a true mycologist, 

 a pleasant holiday of kindred spirits might have been spent in it. 



On the recommendation of Mr. W. Harrison Catterall, the able 

 Rokeby schoolmaster, the opening day was spent in a compact 



1904 November i. 



