332 



Crossla?id : Fungus Foray at Rokeby. 



Leptonia, one ; Cantharellus^ none ; Paxillus involutus^ a single 

 specimen ; Cortinarii^ rare ; Boleti^ three specimens, and so on. 

 On the other hand, the small shade-loving- species were rather 

 plentiful, the genns Mycena, for example, being represented by 

 23 species. Rain had been needed to bring fleshy species 

 forward, but such weather as suits the fungus man does not 

 suit the farmer, especially with late corn crops, so that, from an 

 economic point of view, the best happened. Heavy dews will 

 help them on now if frost keeps away. 



The pastures were in splendid 'heart.' The almost entire 

 absence of * fairy rings ' was observed upon. Only about a 

 couple specimens of Marasmiiis oreades were noted. The Hygro- 

 phoriwQve well represented, 15 species being collected. Mush- 

 rooms, both the ordinary and the horse mushroom, were not at 

 all scarce. In the woods, under the hollies, Marasmius Hudsoni 

 was fairly common ; this cannot always be said of this delight- 

 ful spineclad agaric. 



Although the district is so extensively wooded very little 

 timber disease, compared with what we have seen in some other 

 localities, exists. We only saw about a couple of Ash trees 

 attacked by Pholiota squarrosa ; one by Polyporus hispidus ; one 

 by P. siilphiLveiis ; one Birch by P. hetulinus ; and one Oak by 

 Fistulina hepatica. P. squamoms was brought in from some- 

 where. Dasyscypha calycina was very rare among the Fir trees. 

 Armillaria mellea was in force about some new stumps, and the 

 mycelium was taken from beneath the bark of a fallen tree. Of 

 course, all these denote the presence of disease, but there was 

 little of it comparatively. Ash and Beech are the prevailing 

 timber trees ; many of both have grown to an enormous size, 

 and, judging by the absence of stag's-horn tops, are quite 

 healthy. No trace of the Beech parasite, Armillaria mucida, 

 was seen. One notable feature was the immense amount of 

 Tremella mesenterica on fallen Beech branches. 



The vegetation generally appeared to be healthy ; compara- 

 tively few Uredines or moulds were met with. 



The weather was all that could be desired for collecting 

 purposes. There were several heavy downpours of rain which 

 freshened things, especially the more delicate species, such as 

 Bolbitius and Coprinus sp. Fortunately for us they came during 

 the night. We were only caught in one shower, but this was in 

 Mortham Wood, amid good shelter, with a pile of sticks at the 

 foot of a mossy bank to go at the while. 



Naturalist, 



