The Fungus Flora of the Mulgrave District. 65 
The woods abound in remarkably fine, well-grown timber 
trees, the chief being oak, with a fair mixture of beech, ash, 
chestnut, sycamore and wych-elm. There are many magnificent 
specimens of each of these kinds. The shrubs consist mostly 
of Rhododendron and Cherry-laurel. Unfortunately, the syca- 
more leaf-blotch, Rhytima acerinum, is rather prevalent. The 
larches are in a healthy state, and, so far as we have seen, 
practically free from the larch disease, Dasyscypha calycina. 
There is a good variety of pines. The surface soil is a mixture 
of disintegrated lias shale and humus. The undergrowth 
varies in different' places. Under the elms it is mostly dog’s 
mercury ; under beeches sparingly mossy where not quite 
buried under decaying leaves. Woodsage is common, especially 
among the oaks, and bracken in the open. Felix-mas is the 
commonest woodland fern. 
The erratic appearance of fungi has always been a puzzle, 
and. to a large extent, is yet. One of the objects of our 
frequent visits has been to obtain some insight into their ways 
and doings. They are ‘ shifty ’ creatures, though they cannot 
walk or fly in the flesh. Their production of spores is vast, 
and these can be carried on the wings of the wind, and by 
other agencies, to fresh places, when the pabulum upon which 
they have been flourishing is exhausted so far as they 
are concerned. We can only count upon being certain to find 
the more common species at any given time. On the other 
hand, fresh faces of some kind keep constantly cropping up. 
One of our objects has been to prove the great prevalence 
of these interesting organisms, which play so important a part 
in the economy of nature — usually as agents of decompositions. 
Their presence is not a question of this or that particular 
place ; they occur more or less universally wherever animal 
or vegetable organisms exist. 
The knowledge of our efforts as a section of the Union 
should stimulate other Societies to work out special areas in 
a similar manner. The desire to study the subject, both in 
the field and the laboratory, is spreading, and helpful literature 
is periodically appearing both on the systematic, economic, 
and morphological aspects of the subject. 
We are hoping for a greater increase of young students 
equipped by special training and facilities to undertake the 
study of life-histories and other phases of development. There 
is almost unlimited scope. Several are already in harness. 
This is really by far the most useful and interesting side to 
both those who can do it, and to those who cannot hope to do 
more than study results of such advanced mvcological work. 
We owe much to the generosity of Lord Normanby for so 
often allowing us to look through the woods, and to the Vicar 
of Lythe for placing the Sandsend schoolroom at our disposal. 
1914 Feb. 1. 
