THE 
ESSEX NATURALIST: 
BEING THE 
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VOLUME XVIII. 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF MYCETOZOA, DEDICATED 
TO SAMUEL DALE, M.D., IN MICHELI’S “ NOVA 
PLANTARUM GENERA,” 1729. 
By MISS GULIELMA LISTER, F.L.S. 
LIVELY interest in the Essex physician and botanist. 
IX Samuel Dale, has been aroused in recent years in the 
members of our Club owing to the efforts and writings of Mr. 
Miller Christy and Prof. Boulger. 
A small fact, not mentioned in either of their memoirs, is the 
following :— 
One of the plates (Tab. 96) in Nova Plant-arum Geneva, 
a work written by the illustrious Italian botanist, Pietro Antonio 
Micheli, and published in 1729, is dedicated to Dale in the 
words “ Auspiciis Samuelis Dale insignis medici et botanici.” 
A further interest may be found in the occurrence that this, 
plate and the two preceding are devoted to the representation 
of Mvcetozoa, and are the first good illustrations of the group 
that exist. They illustrate the genera Lycogala, Mucilago , 
Fuligo, Reticularia, Stemoniiis and Arcyria — according to modern 
nomenclature. The first names, Lycogala and Mucilago, are two 
of those given by Micheli himself, and it is satisfactory that they 
are still retained for two of the species which he described 
under these genera. With his insight into the relations of 
plants, which was far in advance of the botanists of his day, 
he recognized a large number of species of Mvcetozoa and placed 
them in genera by themselves, although he regarded them as 
fungi related to Puff-balls. 
The copper-plate engravings give spirited representations 
of the objects depicted. They were probably neither engraved 
nor drawn by Micheli, who it is said was not an expert draughts¬ 
man, but they, must at least have been executed under his 
