150 Crossland : The Study of Fungi in Yorkshire. 



principally parasitic, from Roche Abbey, Kiveton, Anston 

 Stones, and other places in South Yorkshire. 



The year 1888 saw the publication, by the Union, of Dr. 

 F. A. I.ee's ' Flora of the West Riding.' A fairly exhaustive 

 work so far at the Phanerogams are concerned. The list of 

 Fungi contains 1009 species for the West Riding. Certainly 

 this is, as Dr. Lees remarks, ' numerically creditable considering 

 the few workers, and compares favourably with lists hitherto 

 published for areas as large as our own, albeit the number is 

 scarcely 25 per cent, of those described as British, but the dis- 

 tribution through the various drainage areas of the known 

 species is still, through lack of resident observers, very far from 

 being worked out.' Lees refers to most of the mycologists we 

 have had under review as contributing to the Fungi. 



In 1889, Mr. W. W. Strickland, then of Richmond, Surrey, 

 published a list of 229 species, (' Naturalist,' June and July, 

 1889). These he collected principally about Boynton ; there 

 are a few from Scarborough and Sledmere. The records are 

 all localised, but habitat not always given. They were collected 

 between the years 1874 and 1885 : the majority in 1880. The 

 list is introduced by a most interesting dissertation, touching 

 upon the difficulties of the study ; the interest to be found in 

 them ; the wonderful variety of form ; the value of sketching 

 the different parts, including the microscopic features, spores, 

 etc ; the probable influence of host or dead matrix upon colour, 

 shape or size, etc. The dried specimens were presented to the 

 British Museum (Natural History). For \^ears he has travelled 

 abroad, but has continued his interest in the Union. 



In 1888 the temporary attention of the Rev. C. H. B. Woodd, 

 B.A., was attracted to Fungi by their extreme abundance in 

 the neighbourhood of Oughtershaw, Buckden Woods, and other 

 places in Langstrothdale. During the season he collected and 

 figured about one hundred varieties. Later, the figures were 

 submitted to Mr. Massee, who identified about seventy species. 

 {' Naturalist,' May, 1891). 



My own experience with fungi commenced in 1888 at the 

 Bramham and Harewood Foray. Mr. Clarke was my first tutor. 

 The subject appeared to be interesting, but not easy to grasp. 

 During the day, while collecting, it was pointed out by Mr. 

 West, that there was a greater possibility of doing new work in 

 this group than in any other, and that anyone at all interested 

 in botany could not do better than make it a special line. The 



Naturali?!, 



