fungus Forays. 
37 
past twenty years, that a variety of local ties have been 
explored, that a greater humidity and variety of soil char- 
acterize the Herefordshire districts, and a larger number of 
experienced workers have every year been associated with the 
excursions. Following upon these remarks, allusion was made 
to the life and labours of the late Rev. M. J. Berkeley, especially 
in connection with mycology, and a sympathetic audience 
listened for some time, with manifest interest, to reminiscences 
of the twenty-five years of intercourse between the speaker and 
the deceased. In conclusion, young and active members of the 
club, efficient in the use of the microscope, were urged to direct 
their attention to the microscopic fungi of the forest hitherto 
almost unknown. It was urged that there were two or three 
compact groups which might be taken up independently by 
different individuals, and explored with advantage. Such were 
the Myxogasters, the Discomycetes, and the Uredinous fungi, 
for all of which handy and recent text-books were available at 
a cheap rate ; so that there was no longer excuse for leaving so 
many of the minute fungi of Essex without investigation. A 
complete and revised list of the larger fungi of Essex has 
already been prepared, and it is hoped will soon be published, 
and in the hands of the members. 
Woolhope Fungus Foray. — Twenty-one years ago the Wool- 
hope Club organized its first “Foray amongst the Funguses,” 
as it was called, the primary object being to collect specimens 
of edible fungi for cooking and serving at the annual dinner. 
Subsequently and speedily the scope of the forays was widened, 
so as to include all the larger fungi, especially the Hymenomy- 
cetes, and has been continued with more or less success down to 
the present day. The total number of the species of British 
Agaricini may be taken as 1334, and of these 483 have been 
collected in Herefordshire, as recorded in the new Herefordshire 
Flora. This is, as yet, the largest number recorded for any 
British county, that of Essex having reached only 410. The 
Woolhope excursions for this year commenced on October 1st, 
and the place of assembly was Ludlow, in Shropshire, with the 
weather favourable, but the ground and the woods on this side 
of the kingdom were too dry to give any promise of success. 
The party was a smaller one than usual, scarcely exceeding ten 
on any of the days, whilst the lack of “ game ” represented also 
a lack of enthusiasm. Amongst those who took part in the 
explorations of the week were the Rev. Canon Du Port, Rev. J. 
E. Yize, and Messrs. Bucknall, Phillips, Plowright, and M. C. 
Cooke. Tuesday’s excursion was made in the woods of Down- 
ton Castle, over ground which had not been visited by the Club 
for many years ; but it soon became painfully manifest that the 
old success was not to be realized, and after patient and diligent 
search for about four hours, only about eighty species could be 
