Trans. Br, mycol, Soc. 67 (1) 183-185 (1976) Printed in Great Britain

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leones microfll1l{forum a Matsushima lectorum. ByT . MATSUSHIMA. (Publ, by the author, Kobe, 1975.)pp. 209, plates 415. Price 12000 yen (~19.35).

In the past few decades there has been a noticeable andregrettable diminution in the numbers of practisingdedicated collectors of microfungi in the tropics andsubtropics. The welcome appearance of Dr Mat­sushima's first book, Microfungi of the SolomonIslands and PapUQ New Guinea, Kobe (1971), hasgiven some idea of just how much material there stillremains to be found and worked over, and the des­perate need for such basic work to continue. In this1971 publication 200 Hyphomycetes and 32 Ascomy­cetes were described, including 9 new genera, 63 newspecies and 4 new combinations for Hyphomycetesand 4 new species of Ascomycetes. Another 20 newspecies and 5 new genera of Hyphomycetes wereformaIly described in Bull. Nat. Sci . Mus . Tokyo 14,460-480 (1971), and accounts of these also appearedin the book. Since the appearance of these twO contri­butions it is quite evident that they have filled a gap inour mycologicalknowledge of that particular area, and,moreover, despite the fact that they are accounts ofa relatively small tropical geographical area, it hassubsequently transpired that several of the newly des­cribed species and genera are subtropical or temperatein distribution, occurring in South America, Mricaand other parts of Asia. Their interest thereforeextends beyond the original scope of study, andhyphomycete taxonomists and ecologists dealing withsoil microfungi or organisms involved in colonizationof plant debris should certainly be conversant withtheir contents.

The appearance of the present work was thereforeviewed with considerable interest. It deals with 577deuteromycetes, 64 ascomycetes and 13 phycomycetesand is based largely upon collections made by theauthor in Japan. A few species are described fromAlaska and South America. New taxa include 7 newgenera, 155 new species and 16 new combinations inthe Hyphomycetes and 2 new species of Ascomycetes.Its staggering scope is matched by the excellence ofits production, and this in itself is remarkable thesedays for an essentially floristic work. The whole book,apart from preface and brief introduction, is written inmanageable Latin, but there are no descriptions in asecond language. Modem references are supplied fortaxa already described. Each species is represented byeither line illustrations or photomicrographs, thequality of which are unmatched by any taxonomicwork in my knowledge. Many are photographed underphase contrast, and sufficient conidia, conidiophoresand conidiogenous cells are included in each plate togive a good idea of the range in variation. The micro­manipulation and technique required to produceplates of such quality and clarity, often depicting afeature known to be most difficult to illustrate, let

alone see with optical microscopy, is greatly to beadmired, and indeed, envied.

Already I have found a considerable amount of newinformation in this work which has materially helpedin taxonomic problems connected with the diversestudies of microfungi involved in Eucalyptus litterdecomposition in Brazil, and bark colonization ofdeciduous and coniferous substrates by microfungi inCanada. The status and relationships of the new taxaintroduced will surely provide varied and interestingtaxonomic problems for the future. Time itself willdetermine the value of this volume, but in only 5 years,the usefulness of Dr Matsushima's previous book isundisputed. Since the fungi in his latest book aremainly from Japan, there is an even greater likelihoodthat it will be of the utmost significance in taxonomic,floristic and ecological studies in temperate regions.

Quite apart from its undeniable scientific value,simply as a book it is beautiful to behold. The economyof description, elegance of line illustration, incrediblesymmetry of photographic plate composition and highquality of production ensure that this will be relishedfor many years to come. B. C. SUTTON

The Birds Nest Fungi. By HAROLD J. BRODIE (Univer-sity of Toronto Press). pp. XV+ 199. Price £4.00.

This is a true monograph in which the ecology of theBirds Nest fungi, particularly the mechanisms involvedin the dispersal of their 'eggs' is wedded with a taxo­nomic account. With this publication Brodie'snumerous taxonomic studies and long experience ofexperimental work are brought together in an excitingand refreshing way.

After a general chapter Brodie deals in the nexteight chapters with the history of the group, basidio­spore form, development and germination, charac­teristics of the homo- and heterokaryotic mycelium(including fruit-body development), morphology andbehaviour of nuclei, spore and splash dispersal, anddistribution, occurrence and ecology. A chapter onmiscellaneous observations including metabolites andeconomic importance concludes the biological part.

The last third of the book consists of an account ofthe genera N idularia (3 spp.) and Mycoca/ia (S spp.),Nidula (4 spp.) and Crucibulum (3 spp.), and Cyathus(42 spp.) after an introductory review of the taxonomiccharacters used. Brodie gives his reasons for notincluding keys to the species of Cyathus yet one mustfeel that the small additional effort and cost of a keywould have greatly added to the work. It is interestingto note that Brodie, Tulasne and Lloyd have describedover half of the accepted species of Cyatbus and thepublication of this book surely places Brodie alongsidethe Tulasnes by his experimental care and taxonomicexpertise in these curious fungi. Unfortunately, asBrodie hinted, the taxonomic part is not as completeas taxonomists would like, but for others the cultural