54 
FUNGUS FORAYS, 1883. 
The Cryptogamic Society of Scotland held its annual meeting 
this year at Dumfries, but with what success we have had no 
report. The time was rather early for Fungi, and consequently 
they were not numerous. Lactarius capsicum, Schulz, was one of 
the most noteworthy of the “ finds.” 
The Essex Field Club met in Epping Forest for their annual 
Foray on the 29th of September, but the day proved anything but 
a pleasant one, and consequently, as the foray was to be confined 
to less than three hours, the results were not extraordinary. 
During the greater part of the afternoon a persistent downpour 
prevented outdoor investigations. 
The Woolhope Field Club opened its week of meetings by the 
arrival of guests on the evening of October 1st, and excursions 
were planned for the four succeeding days. A detailed account 
was published in the Gardeners^ Chronicle for October 13th. The 
general impression was certainly that in the neighbourhood of 
Hereford, as well as in some other localities in Britain, the present 
was by no means a prolific year for fungi. From the North it has 
been reported that at one time the quantity observed was quite 
equal, if not above the average. In the New Forest this also 
seemed to be the case ; whilst in Cornwall the number was declared 
to be less than had been known for many years, and in many parts 
of the Eastern counties the same complaints were made. In War- 
wickshire, as far as we could judge, the number both of species 
and individuals was unusually small. In Epping Forest we have 
seen during the past Autumn fewer fungi than we have observed 
for many years. Hence we infer that although the general 
character of the year in England was unfavourable to the produc- 
tion of a good crop of fungi, there were in a few localities as many 
as are usually to be found in an excellent year. Fungi would seem 
to obey no law, or if they do, some law which is at present inex- 
plicable to us, since in one place they have been scarce, and in 
another plentiful, at the same time. 
The character of the Fungus flora around Hereford seemed to 
be rather marked by the occurrence of numerous species of Corti- 
nariuSj and at the same time Epping Forest, which usually furnishes 
several species in considerable numbers, yielded this year only here 
and there a solitary specimen. 
Of the species found around Hereford, the following is an ap- 
proximate list : — 
Cortinarius (Phleg) 
triumphans, Fr 
claricolor, Fr. 
sebaceus, Fr. 
varius, Fr. 
Cort. 
Cort. 
Cort. 
Cort. 
Cort. 
Cort. 
cyanopus, Fr. 
anfractus, Fr. 
multiformis, Fr 
