MASSEK. 
Of course I became quite well acquainted with Prof. Massee, 
who is chief of the Mycological department at Kew and I am indebted 
to him for many kindnesses. He is a man I should say about fifty 
years of age, an excellent conversationalist and I am told a very enter¬ 
taining public speaker. The duties of his office require a knowledge 
of the entire mycological field, from a simple determination of speci¬ 
mens to the study of plant diseases and the investigations of the most 
abstruse questions in connection with the biology of fungus forms. 
I doubt if there can be found in England another man who can fill this 
comprehensive position as acceptably as Massee. To me he was very 
cordial and I enjoyed very much my acquaintance with him. 
THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 
The collection of puff-balls in the natural history department 
of the British Museum is neither as extensive nor historically as in¬ 
teresting as that at Kew. It is largely made up of purchased sets and I 
think there are more “exsiccatae” there than in any other museum I 
have yet seen in Europe Ravenel’s herbarium is to be found there, 
also the Welwitch plants and Broom’s collection. 
Broom was a co-worker with Berkeley and his plants are all 
duplicates of the Berkeley collection. Broom, who was a gentleman of 
wealth and leisure did the microscopic work for Berkeley and this ac¬ 
counts for the fiequent citation “Berk. & Br.” 
A few plants I have found at the British Museum that I had not 
previously seen, such as Secotium Malinvernianum in an Italian exsic- 
eata, and the Welwitch and Curry types. There is to be found here also 
some fine specimens of Tylostoma Leveilleanum of Hawaii. The types 
at Paris are in bad condition. 
Miss Annie Lorrain-Smith seems to do most of the fungi work 
at the museum but at present is engaged in working on the lichens. 
An extensive exhibit of all the British Agarics in water colors by 
Worthington G. Smith is displayed in the ‘ show department.” There 
also can be found the Leister collection of drawings of the Myxomy- 
cetes. Though I know nothing of the subject, they impress me as 
being of very great excellence and I am told are the finest illustrations 
of the subject that have been prepared. Leister is a brother of the 
celebrated surgeon, a man of great wealth, with his city residence, his 
country residence, his parks, etc. and I think he also has some “ titles.” 
Neither his wealth nor his “titles” however, have prevented him 
getting enjoyment from natural history and he is more fortunate in 
his tastes than most men in his position. 
I met at the British Museum Mr. Jepp who works mostly with 
mosses, Mr. V. H. Blackman, and in the phaenogamic department. 
Mr. E. G. Baker, and Mr. Britten the editor of the ‘‘Journal of 
Botany.” 
THE LINNAEAN HERBARIUM. 
The “ puff-balls” of the Linnaean collection are of more interest 
in showing how little the “ Father of Botany” knew of these plants 
than their historic or other value. They consist of exactly six speci- 
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