CLUSTEE-CUPS. 17 



drical, the clusters vary mucli in size, and tlie spots 

 on the upper surface of the leaf are reddish, bright, 

 and distinct. The teeth are white and brittle, and 

 the orange spores copious (plate I. figs. 7 — 9). 



There are scarcely any of the epiphyllous fungi 

 forming equally handsome or interesting objects 

 for low powers of the microscope, than the genus 

 to which attention has just been directed ; and they 

 possess the advantage of being readily found, for 

 that locality must be poor indeed which cannot 

 furnish six species during the year. We have 

 found half of the number of described species 

 within little more than walking distance of the 

 metropolis, within a period of little more than 

 three months, and should be glad to hear of the 

 occurrence of any of the rest. 



We have three species of fungi very similar in 

 many respects to the foregoing, but differing in 

 others to such an extent as to justify their associa- 

 tion under a different genus and name. The 

 hawthorn is a bush familiar to all who love the 

 ^^ merry month of May,^^ but it may be that its 

 parasite has been unnoticed by thousands. If, for 

 the future, our readers will bear this subject in their 

 minds when they stand beneath a hawthorn hedge^, 

 they may become acquainted with clusters of sin- 

 gular brown pustules on the leaves, petioles, and 

 fruit well worthy of more minute examination (plate 

 II. fig. 22). They scarcely claim the name of cups, 

 and their lacerated and fringed margins rather 



c 



