86 ''WENTY-EIGHTH REPORT ON THE STATE MUSEUM. 
The spores are a little larger than in the form found on 
R. alba. Itis probably U. Montagnet var. major Desm. 
PHRAGMIDIUM MUCRONATUM Lk. 
The typical form occurs on rose leaves in Oneida. Warne. 
American specimens generally have the spores more 
opaque and with two or three more septa than the typical 
form. This variant form might be called var. Americanum. 
PERIDERMIUM ELATINUM A. & VN. 
Glens Falls. Mrs. Millington. Also in Stony Clove, 
Catskill mountains. Thus far we have seen it on the leaves 
of the balsam only, and several interesting and peculiar 
features are indicated. Unlike our other species this one 
attacks all the leaves on an affected branch. These have a 
sickly yellowish hue, stand out on all sides of the branch 
and do not attain more than half their usual size. They 
fall off each year so that leaves are found only on the @er- 
minal shoots of the affected branches, the internodes of the 
previous years being entirely destitute of foliage. The fun- 
gus therefore appears in reality to be perennial, for having 
once attacked a branch it reappears year after year on the 
successive crops of leaves, apparently loosening its vampire- 
like hold only upon the death of the branch. Fortunately 
it spreads only outwardly or in the direction of growth. 
Hence all the affected branches of a tree if traced back will 
be found to have a common origin and at this common start- 
ing point there is usually a swollen or seemingly injured 
place in the main branch. From this point the ramification 
becomes excessive and crowded, exactly similar to that so 
often seen in spruce trees when attacked by Arceuthobium 
pusillum. All the branches given off below this point are 
unaffected, all given off above it are affected. Whether the 
fungus originates this affected point in the branch or not is 
yet a question, also how long an affected branch will con- 
tinue to live and support its parasite and whether by the 
application of sulphur or any other antidote the fungus 
may be killed and the life of the branch preserved. An 
obvious remedy would be to cut off the branch below the 
affected point. 
MoRCHELLA ESCULENTA AY. 
This species, with us as in Europe, is quite variable. The 
most common form about Albany is whitish or pallid 
throughout and answers to the variety rotunda except in 
the form of the pileus which is obtusely conical rather than 
rounded. Whenever I have met with this form it has been 
under or in the vicinity of pine trees. Another form has 
