PREAMBLE. 20

we take exception in favor of à priori original: "from theory/beforehand" determination.

It should be borne in mind that fungi which grow upon trees are not likely to be found growing on the ground, and that those which inhabit pastures should not be sought in woods. In most species there is a great persistence in habit, and, notwithstanding some variability in form, size, and color, there is a comparative permanence in character, or in such characters as are relied upon for the discrimination of species. A species which possesses a ring upon the stem, for instance, or warts upon the cap, always has them, unless removed by accident. Hence the different species may be distinguished by specific characters, just as in plants of a higher organization. Therefore, the ordinary process of determination, as employed in other departments of botany, is equally applicable here, and the results are equally satisfactory.

The assumption that fungi of the same species, growing in different localities, may