Excerpt from Introduction to the Study of Fungi: Their Organography, Classification, and Distribution, for the Use of Collectors The Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany, published by Berkeley in 1857, was for a long time the only volume, in English, which could introduce the inquiring student to a systematic knowledge of Fungi. Later on, this work was discovered to be insufficient, inasmuch as it was more suited to the requirements of an advanced student than an inquirer; so that the field was left open for a more popular and ele mentary work, which, under the title of Fungi their Nature, Influence, and Uses, appeared in 1875, subsequently passing through several editions. The rapid advance in knowledge of the life-history and development of these organisms during the past ten years, and especially the large scheme of classification carried out by Professor Saccardo, ' made it essential that, in order to keep pace with the times, a guide and introduction should be prepared and published for the use Of students, which, whilst not superseding the volume of 1875 as a popular instructor, should treat the subject more after the manner of a text-book, adapted to the illustration of recent discoveries, and an explanation of the methods of classification. The following pages are the result of an effort to supply an acknow ledged want, which I have executed under the impression that it is probably my last contribution of any importance to British Mycology. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.