38 
ON COLLECTING FUNGI 
ber, but many fleshy agarics flourish throughout a mild 
winter, and several are remarkable in living through low 
temperatures, notably Hypholoma sublatevitius , Pleuvotus ostrea- 
tus, and Collybia velutipes. In spring several species of the 
larger Ascomycetes, many polypores, and a few agarics 
occur; in summer a few bolets, agarics, and phalloids (also 
many minute species, “rusts” and “smuts,” parasitic on 
living leaves, cereals, etc., not considered in this book); in 
autumn the greater majority of agarics, many of which 
appear within a limited time, and then only under favour¬ 
able conditions ; in winter, representatives of the Thele- 
phoraceae and Polyporaceae, with a few agarics. Some 
typical winter species are depicted on Plate I. 
To the reader about to take up the study of fungi, and 
rather at a loss how to begin, I should advise careful exam¬ 
ination of the garden, not omitting the trees, then the nearest 
hedgerow. Enough material will quickly be found to make 
a good start; the “bag” will almost certainly contain 
Stereum hirsutmn , Polystictus versicolor , Hypholoma fascicularis, 
and other species delineated on our plates. There should be 
no difficulty in ascertaining the generic position of a species if 
the keys to the families and genera are carefully consulted. 
It is advisable for the first year to aim at the acquisition of 
a thorough knowledge of a few typical genera. In my 
experience as museum curator I have often noticed that 
many young mycologists are prone to acquire only a shadowy 
knowledge of many species ; they can associate them quite 
correctly with their scientific names, but are unable to 
point out the distinguishing features of the genera con¬ 
cerned. 
To make rapid progress with the study, the beginner 
should seek election to some field club or society which 
holds an annual fungus foray. The premier society in this 
country is the British Mycological, founded in 1896 by 
Dr. M. C. Cooke, Dr. C. B. Plowright, Mr. Carleton Rea, 
