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num, Vent., and O. Venturit, DeNot. Limpricht recognizes six 
species in the Laubmoose, and Austin separated off O. Porteri, O. 
Peck. and O. Lescurii, the last of which was figured in Sullivant’s: 
Supplement to the Icones as var. minus, and referred with the 
other two to O. cupulatum as varieties. 
Recently, in studying the genus, I came to the conclusion that 
Austin’s view. was more in accordance with modern methods, and 
seeing that Dr. Venturi had not seen specimens of Austin’s 
species, I sent him authenticated specimens asking him for his 
opinion, In a letter dated the 11th of September, he says: 
“TI have at present at my disposal a set of Austin’s Musci 
Appalachiani, and I find that the specimens of O. Lescurit and O. 
Porteri agree with those you have recently sent me and with the 
Observations made in your letter. I find, however, in the packet 
containing O. Portert another label belonging to O. Peckii, and 
being unable to distinguish the two forms, which perhaps are 
mixed in my specimen, I cited them as synonymns in the Mus- 
cologia Gallica. Recently, with the aid of your specimens, I have 
obtained a more positive notion of the characters of O. Portert, 
which is not found in Europe. I am however still in doubt about 
O. Peckti, of which I have a morsel sent me by Lindberg from his 
set of the Musci Appalachiani. It may be that O. Peckii is simply 
a variety of O. cupulatum, but O. Porteri is in my opinion much 
more than a variety. The idea of a species is and always will be 
Subjective and changeable according to the views of different 
authors. Now-a-days, when species are shaken and pulverized, 
as for example, O. pallens in Limpricht’s Laubmoose, and O. nudum 
and O. Sardagnanum rank with O. cupulatum, we cannot without 
contradiction refuse to recognize O. Porteri. It is true that it has 
a distinct preperistome, but without the diagonal striations; and 
the teeth besides the longitudinal lines have their outer surface 
Papillose. Of more importance and more conclusive in my opin- 
ion, is the elongated form of the capsule, which is occasionally 
almost cylindric, and the color of the ridges of the pericarp being 
an Orange red instead of yellow. In several particulars O. Portert 
is intermediate between QO. cupulatum and O. anomalum, having 
the short truncate base of the capsule as in the former and the 
Ovate-cylindric form and color of the capsule of the latter. Besides 
