September  24,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
291 
tremely  capricious  as  to  the  time  of  their  occurrence  and  the 
number  of  specimens  produced.  A  single  specimen,  for  instance, 
of  Paxillus  paradoxus,  an  Hungarian  species,  occurred  last  year, 
one  in  the  weist  of  England  and  the  other  in  Kent,  and  in  both 
instances  was  perfectly  new  to  the  British  mycologist.  The  genus 
Sprassis  was  utterly  unknown  in  this  country  till  lately,  but  has 
now  turned  up  in  more  than  one  locality.  The  White  Truffle  of 
Sowerby  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  excessive  scai'city  of  a 
particular  species.  Prom  the  time  when  it  was  figured  by 
Sowerby  a  single  specimen  only  occurred  to  Mr.  Currey  at  Black- 
heath;  Cooke  found  one  also,  and  it  has  occurred  in  Hereford¬ 
shire,  and  we  have  heard  that  it  has  lately  been  found  under 
Oaks  at  Windsor — a  species,  it  may  be  remarked,  which  has  never 
been  found  by  Messrs.  Tulasne  in  their  numerous  researches, 
though  it  was  not  unknown  to  Vittadini.  Corda  appears  to  be 
the  only  one  who  has  hitherto  met  with  it  in  abundance,  and 
excellent  figures  are  given  from  his  pencil  in  Krombholz  grand 
volume.  It  was,  therefore,  with  peculiar  pleasure,  during  an 
excursion  to  the  very  interesting  grounds  of  Rockingham  Castle 
in  Northamptonshire,  that  fine  specimens  of  this  rare  plant  were 
given  to  us  by  the  excellent  gardener  Mr.  Brown,  who  has  found 
it  more  than  once  under  Oak  trees,  not  truly  subterranean,  but 
just  peeping  out  of  the  ground,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  with 
the  common  Truffle,  as  in  Somersetshire,  where  we  have  seen  it 
cut  in  half  in  mowing  the  lawns. 
The  White  Truffle  appears  to  be  very  common  in  Bohemia, 
where  it  occurs  in  shadj'  woods,  and  is  much  valued  on  account 
of  its  delicate  flavour.  It  is  too  rare  in  this  country  to  make  it 
of  much  importance. — M.  J.  B.  (in  Journal  of  Horticulture, 
August  3,  1876.) 
- - 
Sir  William  Jackson  Hooker. 
There  is  a  strikinglj''  interesting  biographical  sketch  in 
vol.  xvi.  of  the  “Annals  of  Botany”  dealing  with  the  life  of  a 
very  eminent  man  of  great  individuality,  whose  history  is  one  with 
that  of  the  progress  of  botany  in  the  most  important  period  of 
last  century,  to  whose  force  of  character,  indeed,  we  owe  an 
entirely  new  development  which  gave  to  this  country  a  pre¬ 
eminence  Avhich  it  still  enjoys — very  largely  increased  and 
augmented  by  the  author  himself. 
The  names  of  men  Avho  did  good  work  can  easily  be  recalled, 
but  the  modern  developments  of  systematic  and  economic  botany 
were  to  centre  at  Kew,  and  Sir  William  Hooker  it  was  who  laid 
the  foundations  and  earlier  courses  of  the  present  world-famed 
edifice.  He  founded  the  Herbarium,  the  Library,  the  Museums, 
and  the  Gardens,  practically  as  they  are  to-day.  The  three 
chapters  of  this  sketch  cover  three  periods:  Norwich  and  Hales- 
worth,  1785-1820;  Glasgow,  1820-1840;  West  Park  and  Kew, 
1841-1865 ;  and  after  them  are  extensive  appendices,  to  be 
enumerated  at  the  end  of  these  abstracts.  The  following  selection 
must  be  taken  as  omitting  as  much  or  more  of  equal  interest. 
I.  Norwich  and  Halesavorth,  1785-1820. 
“  William  Jackson  Hooker  Avas  born  in  St.  Saviour’s  parish, 
Norwich,  on  July  6,  1785.  He  Avas  the  younger  of  tAvo  sons,  the 
only  children  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  Hooker,  of  that  city.  His 
father  Avas  a  native  of  Exeter,  the  home  of  many  generations  of 
the  DeA’onshire  Hookers,  Avhere  he  had  been  a  confidential  clerk 
in  the  house  of  Baring  Brothers,  Avoolstaplers,  Avith  Avhose  family 
his  Avas  distantly  connected.  From  Exeter  he  went  to  NorAA’ich, 
and  into  business  there,  Avhere  he  had  a  collection  of  ‘  Succidents,’ 
the  cultivation  of  Avhioh  class  of  plants  Avas  a  favourite  pursuit 
of  many  of  his  felloAV-citizens.  He  Avas  mainly  a  self-educated 
man,  and  a  fair  German  scholar.  My  father’s  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  James  Vincent,  Esq.,  of  NorAvich,  a  worsted  manu¬ 
facturer,  grandfather  of  Geoi’ge  Vincent,  one  of  the  best  of  the 
Norwich  School  of  artists,  and  Avhose  Avorks  are  nOAV  much  sought 
for.  Thus  my  father  presumably  derived  his  love  of  plants  from 
his  father’s  side,  and  his  artistic  poAvers  from  his  mother’s.  .  .  . 
“  When  only  four  years  old  he  inherited  the  reversion  to  a  fair 
competency  in  landed  and  personal  property  in  Kent,  through 
the  death  of  his  cousin  and  godfather,  'Wdlliam  Jackson,  Esq.,  of 
Canterbury,  a  young  man  of  great  promise.  lAfter  leaving  school 
he  Avas  sent  to  reside  Avith  a  Mr.  Paul,  of  Starston  (a  village  on 
the  borclers  of  Suffolk),  a  gentleman  farmer,  Avho  instructed  sons 
of  the  landed  gentry  in  the  management  of  estates.  Early  in 
life  he  devoted  himself  to  ornithology,  visiting  the  Broads  and 
sea-coasts  of  Norfolk,  Avhich  abounded  in  rare  birds,  shooting, 
stuffing,  and  clraAving  them,  besides  learning  their  habits  and 
songs. 
“Sixty  years  later  he  kneAV  the  birds  in  Kcav  Gardens  by  the 
eye.ancl  the  ear,  aiicl  in  a  manner  Avhich  surprised  me.  Though  a 
keen  ornithologist,  and  as  keen  an  entomologist,  he  Avas  almost 
morbidly  aA’erse  from  taking  life;  he  ncA'er  shot  for  sport  or  for 
the  pot;  and  many  years  aftei'Avards,  A\hen  instructing  nu'  in 
entomology,  he  Avas  ever  urging  me  to  kill  AA’ith  the  least  suffer¬ 
ing,  and  never  to  take  more  specimens  than  Avere  necessary.  H  is 
Avas  one  of  those  temperaments  that  later  in  life  could  not  look 
on  blood  Avithout  a  feeling  of  faintness,  or  on  a  Avax  model  of  the 
human  face  Avith  e(|uanimity.” 
Sir  Will  iam  Avas  born  a  .student  of  natural  history,  and  botany 
may  not  have  been  his  first  love.  We  read:  “That  his  entomo¬ 
logical  pursuits  Avere,  Avhen  still  in  his  teens,  appreciated  by 
the  veteran  Kirby  is  evidenced  by  the  latter  having  in  1805 
dedicated  to  him  and  his  brother  a  species  of  Apion  Avith  these 
words:  ‘I  am  indebted  to  an  excellent  naturalist,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Hooker,  of  NorAvich,  aa’Iio  first  discovered  it,  for  this  species. 
Many  other  nondescripts  have  been  taken  by  him  and  his  brother, 
Mr.  J.  Hooker,  and  I  name  this  insect  after  them,  as  a  memorial 
of  my  sense  of  their  ability  and  exertions  in  the  service  of  my 
fav'ourite  department  of  natural  history.’ 
“  I  do  not  knoAv  the  age  at  Avhich  my  father  took  up  botany. 
The  first  evidence  of  his  having  done  so  is  the  fact  that  he  Avas 
the  discoverer  in  Britain  in  1805  of  a  veryi  curious  Moss,  Bux- 
The  White  Truffle. 
bauniia  aphylla;  but  it  may  be  inferred  from  this  and  from  his 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Turner  (avIucIi  I  possess)  that  he  had  at 
the  age  of  tAvent3^-one  thoroughlj^  studied  not  onlj*  the  floAvering 
plants  but  the  Mosses,  Hepaticre,  Lichens,  and  freshAvater 
Algse  of  Norfollk.  The  Buxbaumia  he  took  to  his  friend.  Dr. 
(afterAvards  Sir  James)  Smith,  of  NorAA’ich,  the  possessor  of  the 
Linnean  herbarium,  avIio  advised  him  to  send  specimens  to  Mr. 
Dawson  Turner,  F.R.S.,  of  Great  Yarmouth,  author  of 
‘  Muscologise  Hiberniese  Spicilegium,’  and,  Avith  L.  W.  Dilhvyn, 
F.L.S.,  of  ‘The  Botanist’s  Guide  through  England  and  Wales.’ 
This  he  did,  and  it  Avas  immediately  folloAvecl  by  an  invitation 
from  Mr.  Turner  to  vi.sit  him,  which  led  to  the  colouring  of  his 
future  life. 
“  In  1806,  Avhen  onh'  four  months  OA'cr  his  majoritj",  my  father 
Avas  elected  a  FelloAV  of  the  Linnean  Society,  probably  the 
youngest  individual  so  honoured.  In  the  same  year  he  visited 
London,  and  Avas  introduced  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  Konig,  BroAA  ii, 
and  other  naturalists.  The  vears  1806-9  Avere  passed  betAvoen 
NorAvich,  Yarmouth,  and  London,  Avith  intervals  of  travelling  in 
Scotland  and  Iceland.  ...  In  1807,  Avhen  botanising  in  the 
neighbourliood  of  Yarmouth,  he  Avas  bitten  by  a  viper.  Fancying 
he  had  been  pricked  b,A"  a  thorn  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  pain,  till 
giddiness  came  on,  under  AAhich  he  succumbed.  After  lying  for 
some  time  in  a  state  of  collapse  he  Avas  accidentally  found  by  some 
friends  Avho  carried  him  to  Mr.  Turner’s.  AA’licre  violent  fiwer 
supervened,  folloAved  by  tedious  illne.ss.  On  recovery  he  started 
Avith  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  on  a  botanical  tour  in  Scotland.  .  .  . 
(To  be  continued.) 
