290 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
"I have not been able to find specimens in Mr. Sowerby's collec-
"tion : possibly it may be a state of Pistillaria micans."
Under Sphaeria fimbriata Pers. (Hornbeam-leaf Sphaeria)
there is a note "It is curious that Sowerby never appears to
"have met with this species though accustomed to woods
"abounding with hornbeam."
In Berkeley's opinion the figure of Ray (Syn. Ed. 2 t. 24.,
p. 4) referred to by Sowerby as possibly his Peziza radiculata
"is clearly something of a very different nature." Persoon
renamed Sowerby's species Peziza Sowerbea (Myc. Eur. 1, p. 232).
The copy of Persoon's Observationes Mycologies in the De-
partment of Botany has an interest in that it was presented
to Sowerby by the author and was later purchased from a book-
seller by Berkeley. It contains a manuscript letter which
gives an idea of the friendly co-operation which existed between
the early mycologists :—
"Dear Sir,
By Dr. Bouttatz You shall have received already the
packet sent to You least Easterday with great desire for Your
kind answer to the questions I made so free to propose You
in my letter the reply to them being of any interest to me.
At present I enjoy the pleasure to send You the second
part of my Observat. Mycologicae. The first and second
volume of my edition of Thunberg's Dissertations I add too,
believing to have not yet made oyer a sufficient equivalent
for Your beautiful work on Fungusses. Long time ago I
should also have sent to You my edition of the systema vege-
tabilium, but being not enabled, by shortness of time, to
augment it considerably, I dont believe it should give You
proper satisfaction, but expressly desiring, I shall get conveyed
it over to You at next opportunity. In Your last letter You
declared, Dear Friend, to not be averse for giving the rest
of Your publications in exchange. Might I yet wish some-
thing to possess, 't would be your compleat english Botany
for an exemplar of the new edition of Schaeffer's Icones fun-
gorum Bavariae indigenarum with my commentary. I wish
to receive an answer towards this proposition in short time.
In case You should not have written to me now by the