ORIGIN OP THE ERGOT OP RYE. 
241 
mass, and occasionally calls the ergot an "ergotized grain;" 
but still in these several descriptions all but the discovery is 
made out, and some credit is to be given to these individuals 
for their observations, which I myself, and I believe Mr. 
Smith, likewise, were ignorant of whilst investigating the 
subject. 
To Mr. Smith, I will say, is due that share of the discovery 
in which he proved and described what Berkeley and others 
previously imagined, viz.: that the body known as ergot was 
not a fungus, but a diseased grain, and I reserve for myself 
the substantiating of his views by a different and more perfect 
proceeding; and also as being the first to observe the parasitic 
fungus to develope throughout all its stages up to maturity, and 
to arrive at a perfect plant, unconnected with any part of a grass; 
which fungus being new and undescribed, I considered I had the 
privilege of naming Ergotcetia, and did think of taking the 
specific name of it after Mr. Smith, as " F. B." mentions, on 
account of my respect for him, and also because he was the 
first that I was then aware of to detect it in a place where it 
was not before observed, which fact went a considerable way 
towards pointing out the true origin of ergot; but by the ad- 
vice and suggestion of a mutual friend, Mr. N. B. Ward, of 
Wellclose square, I adopted the term abortans, for reasons 
which "F. B." has assigned; and had 1 any doubt of Mr. 
Smith's share of the discovery, is it probable that I ever 
should have proposed his name as being fitted to form the 
specific one of the newly discovered genus? 
I trust, from what has been said, that I have acted in no 
way to deprive Mr. Smith of his claims; and, in fact, here I 
allow them ; and if I did not speak of them so fully as he 
wished, I did not deny them, or speak in any way against 
his discovery in my paper. 
There is one more point that I must take notice of: — F. B. 
remarks, that 1 "may, by subsequent observation and research, 
have developed some minutiae which do not appear in the 
paper of Mr. Smith, is what might be expected, and need not 
be denied." Now great care is taken to withhold the nature 
VOL. t. — NO. III. 31 
