Plants more rare and local than the foregoing, found in the district of the

Plants found in the Honddu Valley, but absent from that of the Grwyne.

Plants found in the Grwyne Valley, but absent from that of the Honddu.

Plants remarkable for their absence from the Black Mountain group.

Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club.

1885.

THE FUNGUS FORAYS.

AT the annual Fungus Forays of the Woolhope Club this October, the woods at Pontrilas and Dinmore Hill, Hampton Court Park, and Haywood Forest were searched, and many very interesting varieties discovered. The leading mycological authorities who attended this year were:-Messrs. C. E. Broome, F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., G. F. Inman, F.L.S., from Bath; M. C. Cooke, L.L.D. and George Massee, from London; C. B. Plowright, F.L.S., from King's Lynn; Edwin Lees, F.L.S., F.G.S., from Worcester; Dr. Carlyle, from Carlisle ; Wm. Phillips, F.L.S., from Shrewsbury; the Rev. J. E. Vize, M.A., from Forden, Welshpool; the Rev. Canon Du Port, from Denver Rectory, Norfolk; Cedric Bucknall, Muc. Bac., from Clifton; T. Bennion Acton, from Wrexham ; and the Rev. E. Cunningham, from Marnham, Notts. The public Club day was held on Thursday, the 8th inst., and, in addition, was attended by Mr. C. G. Martin, President of the Club; Mr. Henry Wilson, President of the Malvern Field Club; Mr. George H. Piper, F.G.S., President-elect; E. Cambridge Phillips, F.L.S., from Brecon; Drs. Bull and Chapman; Colonel Lucas, Majors Doughty and Owen; Captain Campbell; the Revs. T. M. Beavan, W. Elliot, E. J. Holloway, Augustin Ley, Morgan G. Watkins, F. S. Stooke-Vaughan, H. P. S. Strong, and H. W. Tweed; Messrs. Anthony, B. St. John AttwoodMathews, F. Bainbridge, J. Carless, James Davies, Gilbert Davies, E. Firth, Charles Fortey, J. Greaves, W. H. Jones, H. C. Moore, J. G. Morris, T. C. Paris, O. Shellard, J. F. Symonds, W. Wadeley, Burton Watkins, and T. B. Yates. Mrs. and Miss Woodhouse, and Miss Maud Bull also joined the excursion, and Mr. Theo. Lane, the Secretary.

It had not been anticipated from the dry summer that it would be a good season for Funguses, but it turned out much better than was expected, and several very rare plants were met with.

The business of this meeting is always important, for the officers for the approaching year are selected. The gentlemen appointed are as follows:President for 1886, Mr. Geo. H. Piper, F.G.S.; Vice-Presidents, Messrs. C. G. Martin, Major Doughty, the Rev. F. T. Havergal, and the Rev. David Price. Two new members were elected, and others proposed for election at the annual meeting in the spring.

At one or other of the meetings during the week, the following papers and subjects were read and discussed :-

A humorous poem, entitled " Flamen Pomonalis," was read by M. C. COOKE, L.L.D., &c.

"The Origin of Domestic Poultry": by E. CAMBRIDGE PHILLIPS, F.L.S. "The Cock of the Second Century" by E. CAMBRIDGE PHILLIPS, F.L.S. "The Dog of Sacred History" by E. CAMBRIDGE PHILLIPS, F.L.S. "The Effect of Fungus Growth in Destroying Tree Life," introduced by Dr. BULL.

"On Pestalozzia" (De Not): by the Rev. J. E. VIZE, M.A., F.R.M.S. "On Polycistina" (Ehr): by the Rev. J. E. VIZE, M.A., F.R.M.S. "Some Notes on British Puffballs," illustrated with diagrams: by WM. PHILLIPS, F. L.S.

"Brefeld's Researches on the Ustilaginei ": by CHARLES B. PLOWRIGHT, F.L.S., &c.

"The Solution of a New Zealand Botanical Mystery": by Dr. BULL.

ON THE ORIGIN OF THE DOMESTIC COCK.*

By E. CAMBRIDGE PHILLIPS, F.L.S., M.B.I.O.U., &c.

It is universally admitted that the English game fowl has been carefully bred in this country and kept in its purity for many centuries. Introduced here by the Cæsars (a favourite pastime of the Romans being cock-fighting, and copied by them from the Greeks, who most probably obtained their fighting birds originally from the far East), the English game fowl stands alone in its great antiquity, its beauty, and marvellous courage, far above all other breeds of our domestic poultry.

During the past twenty-five years I have kept at various times all the different varieties of game fowl, and more particularly the pure white bird with yellow legs and bill. I purpose therefore recording the following experiences I have had in crossing White game with Black-red gaine and other poultry, the results in each case being so surprising, and so very different to my expectations, that I venture to hope they may be found of some interest to naturalists and ornithologists in throwing some faint light upon the origin of the domestic cock, the subject of this paper.

As this will probably be read out of England,† it may not be out of place to state shortly the various breeds of game fowl alluded to in this paper, with a short description of each.

First is the "Black-red game,” the oldest breed of all, and I think the purest. The cock has the head bright orange in colour; comb, single, serrated, and red; eyes, bright red; face, red; hackle, bright orange, without any markings; back, dark rich red; shoulders and shoulder-coverts, red; wing-butts, black; bow, red; greater and lesser coverts, brilliant lustrous black, forming a distinct bar; primaries, black; secondaries, outer web bay, black inner web; saddle, red; tail, black; breast, black; legs, either willow, blue, olive, or yellow; one very old breed, however, which is very scarce, called the Derby red, has, as its distinctive mark, white legs, and occasionally a white feather in its tail, which last feature in all other black-reds is considered a sign of the greatest impurity.

Black-red hen.-Eyes, bright red; neck-hackle, golden, with black stripes; back and shoulder coverts, wing-bow, shoulder, and coverts, partridge-colour ; tail, black and brown; breast and thighs, salmon-colour; legs, as in cock.

"White game."-Plumage, entirely white; comb, red; legs, orange-yellow; eye, red (this applies to both cock and hen).

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'Piles," or "Pied game," are common enough in the British Islands, and were originally obtained by crossing White game with Black-red game.

* From experiments made in crossing some of the different varieties of pure English game fowls with each other, and also in crossing game fowls with common domestic poultry.

+ This paper was read before the Ornithological Congress at Vienna, in April, 1884.