1 1 2 The Scottish Naturalist. 



makes it very doubtful under what group a variable plant should 

 be classed. If any attempt is made to keep together plants nearly 

 allied, this leads to the purely artificial system being set aside now 

 and again, with the result that plants may not unfrequently be 

 found placed under groups from which they differ in the essential 

 group-character; though this is not so often done among the 

 imperfect fungi as among the perfect Pyrenomycetes (Sylloge, 

 Vols. I. and II.), in which Saccardo sometimes departs far from 

 a strict adherence to his system of classification, and thus render 

 the results misleading in too many cases. 



As no account of Saccardo's method of classification of the 

 Fungi has yet been published, to my knowledge, in Scotland, it 

 will be necessary to indicate it briefly, in so far as relates to the 

 Sphaeropsidece and Melanconiece. 



He distinguishes the groups thus : 



I. SpjleropsidejE Lev. (emendatae). 



Fungi possessed of a perithecium (but without asci), inside 

 which are sporules, supported on more or less evident 

 basidia. 



Fam. i. Sphserioideae Sacc. 



Perithecia membranaceous, carbonaceous, or subcoriaceous, 

 dark (never bright-coloured nor fleshy), globose, 

 conical, or lenticular, complete, immersed or superficial. 



Fam. 2. Nectrioideae Sacc. 



Perithecia (and stroma when present), fleshy or waxy, 

 bright-coloured (white, yellow, orange, or red), globose, 

 or less often hysterioid (i.e., opening by a slit instead 

 of a round hole), or subcupulate. Sporules, in all yet 

 known, hyaline. 



Fam. 3. Leptostromaceae Sacc. 



Perithecia membranaceous or carbonaceous, dark, more or 

 less evidently dimidiate, peltate, without an opening, or 

 ostiolate, or hysteroid, erumpent or superficial. 

 Fam. 4. Excipulaceae Sacc. 



Perithecia membranous or carbonaceous, dark, cupuliform, 

 or patelliform, or excipuliform, or hysteroid, at first 

 subspheroid, but early opening wide, smooth, or 

 pilose. 



II. Melanconieje Berk. 



Fungi (without either perithecia or asci) composed of sub- 



