MOSSES FROM CHINA AND JAPAN. 449 
On some Mosses from China and Japan. By Ernest STANLEY 
SALNGN. (Communicated by J. Œ. Baker, F.R.S., F.L.S.) 
[Read 19th April, 1900.] 
(PLATE 17.) 
THE material on which the following records are based was found 
in the Royal Herbarium at Kew, and consists for the most part 
of specimens collected by Mr. C. Ford, F.L.S., Superintendent 
of the Hongkong Botanic Gardens, Dr. E. Faber, and Dr. A. 
Henry. 
Although but few new species appeared in the collections, 
several interesting mosses have been found from a geographical 
point of view. Thus five species—Gymnostomum inconspicuum, 
Griff., Dicranum lorifolium, Mitt., Atrichum obtusulum, C. Müll., 
Polytrichum gymnophyllum, Mitt., Papillaria atrata, Mitt.— 
hitherto known only from India (mostly from the Himalayan 
region), have appeared in China; together with six species— 
Dicranum crispofaleatum, Schimp. MSS., Besch., Physcomitrium 
japonicum, Mitt., Webera scabridens, Jaeg., Polytrichum spinu- 
losum, Mitt., Plagiothecium levigatum, Schimp. MSS., Besch., 
Brachythectum Wichure, Broth.—hitherto recorded only from 
Japan. 
Of special interest is the appearance in Japan of Polytri- 
chum contortum, Lesq., and Oligotrichum Lescurii, Mitt. (see 
below, pp. 461 & 467). P. contortum has been recorded also 
from British Columbia, California, Alaska, and Saghalien; and 
O. Lescurii from Alaska and Kamtchatka. The distribution 
of these two species furnishes evidence in favour of the view 
of the continuity of land in previous times between Japan and 
America by way of Saghalien or the Kurile Isles, Kamtchatka, 
and the Aleutian Isles (see Asa Gray, in Mem. Amer. Acad. 
Arts & Sci. vi. p. 448, 1859; and K. Miyabe, in Mem. Boston 
Soe. Nat. Hist. iv. 1890, nr. 7, pp. 207, 211, 212). 
Plagiothecium micans, Par., hitherto known only from North 
America, has now been collected at Hongkong. 
I wish to express my thanks to Mr. C. H. Wright, of Kew, 
for kindly giving me information on many points. 
WEISIACEA. 
WEISIA vIRIDULA, Brid.—Japan : Miyanoshila, c. fr. (C. Ford, 
Oct. 1890, no, 295). 
