298 FUNGI. 



One graceful writer calls it Fairy Bath ; and I ever 

 think Bryant's lines most suitably apply to it : — 



" Scarlet tufts 

 Are glowing in the green, like flakes of fire, 

 And wanderers in the prairie know them well. 

 And call that brilliant plant the Painted Cup. 



£ ***** * 



* These bright chalices were tinted thus 



To hold the dew for fairies, when they met 



On moonlight evenings in the hazel bowers, 



And danced till they were thirsty. 

 *  ■* # # * 



Well, 



Let then the gentle Manitou of flowers, 

 Lingering amid the blooming waste he loves, 

 Tho' all his swarthy worshippers are gone — 

 Slender and small, his rounded cheek all brown 

 And ruddy with the sunshine ; let him come 

 On summer mornings, when the blossoms wake, 

 And part with little hands the spiky grass ; 

 And touching, with his cherry lips, the edge 

 Of these bright beakers, drain the gathered dew." 



The Scarlet Peziza (P. coccinea, Plate XX., Jig. 1 ) 

 grows on hazel twigs. Insects and slugs are very fond 

 of it, and it is rare to find a full-grown specimen free 

 from their dilapidations. It appears generally about 

 January, and, with moss, makes a charming winter 

 bouquet, especially if a few snowdrops or a Christmas 

 rose can be had to heighten the force of contrast. We 

 have gathered these beautiful fungi in Shropshire, Here- 

 fordshire, Wiltshire, Kent, and Yorkshire. 



A very small Grey Peziza, frequently found on the ground 



