cxxii Journal of Proceedings.
two or three inches through, so that there was enough in one of them for
breakfast for half-a-dozen persons ; and in one of the other species
referred to, Boletus duriusculus, there was enough for two or three per-
sons. So that for the next two or three weeks anyone living in the
vicinity could go and fetch his breakfast out of the Forest,
bring it home and cook it. Fries said of it, " edible, delicious." Mr.
English had brought in that day, from High Beach, the pretty lilac-
coloured Lactarius lilacinus, which, though found last year at Hereford,
had never before been recorded for the Home Counties. Three other
species of Boletus besides B. duriusculus, which had never been recorded
from the Home Counties before, found their place on the table, so that
altogether this had been a successful foray, looking at it from its scien-
tific aspect, and he thought, in addition to that, that he had never
known an assembly of the Essex Field Club which had so much to com-
mend it on the social side as the meeting in which they had taken part
during the last two days. (Applause.)
On the motion of the President, seconded by Mr. Meldola, votes of
thanks were passed to Mr. Worthington Smith for his paper, and to Dr.
Cooke, for his report, and for the great trouble he had taken in determin-
ing the species, and otherwise forwarding the scientific work of the
meeting. Cordial appreciation was also expressed of the aid afforded by
the numerous botanists who had acted as " Referees," and to the exhibi-
tors of microscopes and specimens, who had added so largely to the
interest and success of the meeting.
A vote of thanks was also passed to the Right Hon. Lord Rayleigh,
for acting as the delegate of the Club at the conference of local societies
at the meeting of the British Association held in Canada.
The remainder of the evening was occupied in examining the numer-
ous exhibits. The visitors took great interest in the fine show of
named specimens of living fungi, and at the close of the meeting many
specimens were taken away for further examination at home. It should
be mentioned that Mr. T. Howse sent from Guildford specimens of
Hydnum erinaceum, and Boletus aurantiporus and other species.
Messrs. P. W. Elliott and B. G. Cole showed a collection of fresh speci-
mens collected at Burnham Beeches on the Thursday, and collections
were also sent from Suffolk. The ' Gardeners' Chronicle,' in concluding
a report of the meeting, said, " as the referees were present in the room
during the meeting a good number of ' leading questions' were of course
asked and satisfactorily answered, not only regarding large fungi, but
about the small ones which often infest food plants. Circumstances for
the study of fungi were very different thirty years ago, when Dr. (then
Mr.) Cooke and Mr. W. G. Smith, the oldest members (as botanists) of
the newer school of mycologists, tackled the fungi. At that time there
were no excursions or fungus meetings, and no personal instruction.
The only English book was Hooker's ' British Flora,' with Berkeley's
volume of ' Fungi,' (1836), and a few mouldy, badly got up foreign books,