194 
the specimens from which the description was drawn. ‘They rep- 
resent different specimens from different habitats, as they are not 
all in the same stage of development, but they show the same 
variations that other North American specimens do. Several of © 
the plants are larger than the average, 15—25mm. high, the stems 
short and simple or branching, several are 15mm. high with more — 
than one capsule on a plant. They are particularly noticeable — 
for the different lengths of the pedicels, for the turbinate capsules, — 
and the blunt lids, all of which points Richard recognized as dif 2 
ferent from the European species. 
I have not seen the types of the two species described by Beau- — 
vois, but from the descriptions I do not think there is any doubt 
that they all refer to one very variable species. 
Dr. Torrey corresponded with and sent specimens to Bridel, 
and I find in his herbarium four specimens numbered and named a 
presumably by Bridel, as follows: } 
11. Gymnostomum pyriforme, without locality, presumably 
American. Z 
29-30. Gymnostomum turbinatum, collected by Schweinitz. 
31. Gymnostomum splachnoideum, from Canada. 
They are all referable to P. turdinatum. It will be remembered 
that as late as 1826 Bridel, in the Bryologia Universalis, maintained — 
three American species as distinct from P. pyriforme. ) 
Physcomitrium turbinatum Miiller, ined. L. & J. Man. 198 : 
(1884). : a 
G. turbinatum Michx. is given as a synonym of P. Hooker! ® 
the Manual, but this is evidently a mistake. Lower down on es 
same page P. turbinatum Miller, ined., is described as 4 Species 
thus duplicating a specific name in one genus, and confusing "™ 
synonymy. In order to settle the doubts raised by this mixture, 
I wrote to Paris, and M. Bescherelle sent me a portion of Boll's 
Texan specimens from the herbarium of C. Miiller, these being the 
ones from which the description of P. turdinatum in the Manu 2 
was drawn. In his reply, dated May 1, 1893, Bescherelle reieh " 
‘Quant au Physc. turbinatum du Texas (Boll legit) attribué par 
Lesquereux et James a C. Miiller, je ferais remarque ‘que Millet 
me |’ a envoye sans nom d’ auteur, dans la pensee que Je 
ignorais pas que cette espece etait celle de Bridel, Mic 
