A GUIDE TO BRITISH FUNGI. 
191 
equipped with expensive books and the companionship of an 
expert, he will, in nine cases out of ten, do badly, because he will 
then learn too many species with comparatively little effort — he 
will be “crammed ” in short — and in an astonishingly short time 
his recollection will have faded and the knowledge so gained be 
with “the snows of yester year.” 
It is more or less by a fortunate accident that we have such a 
book. It is issued as a guide to the models made by Sowerby in 
the preparation of his “ English Fungi” (1797-1809). Tradition 
says that Sowerby, on obtaining a specimen, first made a model of 
it in the round, and afterwards made his drawing from the model. 
Be this so or not, the models often appear to support the view 
from their more faithful outlines. After coming into the posses- 
sion of the British Museum it was found necessary to restore 
many of them in the matter of colour, a work easily accom- 
plished by Mr. Worthington Smith, since the Museum possess 
the original drawings made by Sowerby for his bock, as well as 
the models. Mr. Worthington Smith took the opportunity of 
Flowers of Tan. 
Fuligo varians. (Natural size.) .Spores and threads x 200. 
making this catalogue of them, with modern descriptions, and has 
furnished the beautiful illustrations of the genera and sub-genera. 
From each of the groups we are permitted to reproduce an illus- 
tration which will give an idea of their character. Considering 
the changes that have come over the classification of fungi since 
Sowerby prepared his great work, it is remarkable that a system- 
atic account of his species should be so effectually illustrative of 
the larger fungi at the- present day as to permit of the publica- 
tion of a guide to them which is at the same time so excellent a 
guide to the study of fungi. One remarkable feature of the book 
is its cheapness, and last but not least, it possesses a practical 
index. 
Of the figures of some of our commoner species, here repro- 
duced by kind permission, Agaviciis muscarius, Boletus edulis, Mcrulius 
lacrymans and Typhda phacorvhiza illustrate the Hymenomycetes ; 
Phallus iiupudicus illustrates the Gastcvomycetcs ; Peziza vesiculosa 
the Discomycetes ; Hypoxylon concentricum the Pyrcnomycctes ; Tuber 
astivum the Tuberacea or Truffle family ; and Fuligo varians, 
“ Flowers of Tan,” the Myxomycetes. 
