THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
177
the usual named display of the specimens upon the tables provided: it
was pleasant to see the many interested students with notebook and pencil,
noting the names of the specimens or comparing the actual plants with
the illustrations in their books of reference.
An afternoon party assembled at Loughton station at shortly after
halfpast two and made collections in the Loughton district of the Forest,
so that by these combined efforts a goodly display of specimens was made.
Tea was taken at 4.30 o'clock, following which a meeting of the Club
was held, with the President in the chair.
In his opening remarks, the President congratulated the company on
the fact that it was able to hold such a meeting: he recalled that during
the Great War the Club had managed to carry on its activities, including
its Fungus Forays, throughout the four years 1914 to 1918, but he doubted
whether, had the recent crisis culminated in a new war, it would have
been so possible to pursue peaceful avocations. He called upon the
several Conductors present, in turn, to report upon the day's results.
Mr. Gould began by some personal reminiscences of the Forays held
during the war, recalling the attendance of Belgian refugees whose
acquaintance with the funguses, from a gastronomic standpoint, was
of value. He expressed his thanks to those persons who had so willingly
helped him in arranging the display of specimens upon the tables. In
conclusion, he referred to Mr. Pearson's handbook, just published by the
Club, on the fungi of the Forest, and criticized a few omissions in it.
Mr. Pearson, who spoke next, gave his reasons for the omissions
referred to, some of which were due to mistaken records in past times
which he had been compelled to reject as untrustworthy. He pointed
out, in this connection, that Continental nomenclature differed most
puzzlingly from our English names; thus our Boletus scaber is not scaber
as understood abroad. He also called attention to modern chemical tests
now used to differentiate between species hitherto believed to be identical,
as in the case of some of the Russulas.
Mr. Ross, who reported on the mycetozoa, remarked that although the
recent rains had improved the conditions necessary for these lowly
organisms, the dry summer had had an adverse effect, and consequently
the forms found that day were still in immature state. In all, 24 species
had been found : he remarked that, although birch is usually an indifferent
medium for the development of mycetozoa, today he had found thirteen
species on rotting birch-logs, a somewhat notable record: a total of 102
species of mycetozoa had now been recorded from Essex, nearly all of
them from Epping Forest, and all confirmed by Miss Lister.
The Chairman summed up the remarks of the preceding speakers.
He emphasized the inestimable value of Miss Lister's expert assistance,
she being the world authority on the mycetozoa.
With regard to the diversity of nomenclature of fungi, here and on the
Continent, he advocated that such well recognised names as Boletus
scaber should be retained, as an aggregate specific name with which students
were already familiar: he gave instances of the confusion in nomenclature
as between our British and the Continental mycologists.