14 MICKOSCOPIC FUNGI. 



cups_, are irregularly distributed over the spots^ not 

 •crowded togetlier as in the last species ; and the 

 teeth are large^ white_, and distinct. The spores 

 are at first orange^ but at length become brownish. 

 This species may be found in springs as late as 

 June, most commonly on the dog-violet^ but also 

 'On other species of Viola. 



It is not a very desirable occupation to search a 

 bed of nettles_, and turn over the individual leaves 

 to look for minute fungi. A very pretty ^cidium 

 is nevertheless far from uncommon in such a habitat. 

 Fortunately it occurs veiy often on the petioles of 

 the leaves and on the stem, distorting them very 

 much ; and in such situations flourishing, apparently, 

 more vigorously than when occupying the under- 

 surface of the leaves (plate I. fig. 10). In the latter 

 situation the clusters of peridia are small, seldom 

 exceeding a dozen in a spot, but several spots may 

 be found on the same leaf. On the stem they are 

 ■clustered around for upwards of an inch in length, 

 and their bright orange colour in such a situation 

 renders them very conspicuous objects. The peridia 

 are always closely packed together upon a thickened 

 base, and offer but slight variations from the forms 

 already enumerated, save that they "vsdden slightly 

 ■at the mouth, so as to become nearly campanulate. 

 The spores are orange, and veiy profuse. 



During the summer of 1863 we noticed, for the 

 first time, a very pretty little species of cluster-cup 

 X^cidium) on the wood ?>Qimc\Q{SaniculaEuropoea) in 



