
          Bolton's Icones Fungorum. Shear 307

Westharling.” Whoever possessed the volumes for the past hundred
years or more has certainly given them excellent care.

But little seems to be known about Bolton’s life and the date of his
birth is uncertain. As he says on the title-page of his History of the
Fungusses of Halifax that he was a member of the Natural History
Society of Edinburgh, we thought it possible that the record of the
Society might contain the date of his birth or some other information
concerning him. Mr C. E. Foister, of the Department of Botany of
the University of Edinburgh, has kindly searched such records as are
available but can find nothing regarding Bolton.

Bolton is said to have gained his livelihood chiefly as an artist,
draughtsman and teacher of drawing. He seems to have been largely
self-educated and never to have had much formal instruction in
Botany. He evidently spent most of his leisure during his life in the
collection, study and illustration of the fungi and other plants and
animals. He seems to have possessed or had access to some of the
mycological works available at that time, as in the introduction to
vol. II of his published work he speaks of having made use of Linnaeus,
Micheli, Battarra, Sterbeeck, Gleditsch, etc. As his work was done
before the appearance of the works of Persoon and Fries, it is not to be
wondered at that many of his identifications were erroneous. That he
recognised his limitations and that his opinions of the identity of the
species changed with the lapse of time and study is clearly indicated
by comparing the numerous tentative names written in pencil which
were first given to the species (79 in all) illustrated in the manuscript
volumes with those finally adopted in the published work and inserted
by him later in the manuscript volumes. In the manuscript volume
many of the species were regarded as “nondescript,” but before the
work was published he had decided to refer a large part of such to
species already described by previous authors. He therefore went
through the manuscript volumes and inserted at the top of each page
the name finally adopted for publication with the citation of the plate
upon which the species occurs in the published work. Water-colour
artists who have examined the plates marvel at the clearness and
brightness of the colours and their study will probably throw more
light on the identity of some of the species which have been misunderstood 
or are doubtful.
        