Boston Mycological Club. 
Bulletin No. 3, 1897. 
Notices. — On Saturday, Aug. 21st, prizes are offered for edible mush¬ 
rooms by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Specimens to be 
exhibited should be on hand at nine o’clock, and must be ready for the 
judges at eleven. 
A Meeting of the Club is called for three o’clock the same day at 
Horticultural Hall. 
At the last meeting it was voted that the names of all applicants for 
membership should come before the Executive Committee for ratification. 
An Excursion is announced for Friday, Aug. 27th, to East Holliston. 
Leave Boston and Albany at 10.32; return by 5.30; cost $1.10. Send 
word to W. H. Burlen, East Holliston, Mass. 
The secretary requests that all communications to him be addressed to 
Cambridge, Mass. 
Those who have excursions to propose and who will lead them, and all 
who wish to be notified of excursions are requested to send their names 
to the Secretary. 
It is hoped that every one is keeping a record of species found, and 
of species eaten, to serve as a basis for a report at the end of the season. 
A special request is made that specimens of Cyclomyces Gree?iii (known 
by its concentric gills) and of the rarer sorts of woody fungi be collected 
and brought to the Saturday exhibitions or sent to the Secretary. 
Arrangements have been made whereby books may be obtained or 
ordered at the hall on Saturdays. 
Members are invited to bring in specimens of the smaller parasitic 
fungi (leaf moulds, blights, etc.), if they wish to know about them. 
The season is unusually productive. Common mushrooms are abun¬ 
dant, and rare kinds are more frequently seen than usual. Doubtless the 
large number of fungus-hunters, “ Pilz-freunde ” as the Germans call 11s, 
has much to do with bringing to light the uncommon forms,^some of 
which are almost certain to turn up at the Saturday exhibitions in Horti¬ 
cultural Hall. With such a rich crop and such an increasing host of 
mushroom eaters — so many of whom insist on having a dish of 
something, whether they are sure it is good or not — it is not sur¬ 
prising that the papers are reporting cases of poisoning, some of them 
fatal. 
Even among the members of the Mycological Club—who ought to 
know better — there have been one or two instances where sickness has 
followed an ill-judged meal; and more than one member — fortunately so 
far without bad result—has carelessly confounded a kind to be avoided 
with one recommended. Such mistakes ought to work a suspension 
of the privileges of membership; at least any one careless about 
Amanitas should hardly expect to remain an active member. New 
members of the club, particularly those who are new to mushrooms as 
well, had best go slowly, and make acquaintance first with the poisonous 
kinds that they are sure to include in their first basketful. When they 
have learned to recognize these, and to avoid them, they may learn, one 
at a time, the commonest edible kinds, and should be satisfied if at the 
end of their first season they know half a dozen. What these kinds are 
may be learned from the various pamphlets and books available, or from 
