%56 Dr. Smith's Remarks on the Generic Characters of Mosses, 
already made it, a most distinct genus of Alger, the Blasia pusilla 
of himself and Linnaeus. 
Linnaeus, in just conformity to the principle he had adopted, 
referred to Mnium every moss with a terminal fruit-stalk, in which 
the powdery head or star of male flowers, supposed by him fe- 
male, had been found ; but this tended in no small degree to per- 
plex his followers. Some of them indeed, chiefly intent on compil- 
ing catalogues, and having an implicit confidence in their master, 
never disputed the genus of any plant which he had fixed. The 
homage of such pupils, however, could not conduce much to his 
honour; for such imperfect obse/vers could be no adequate judges 
of his merit. His own talents were formed in the school of severe 
investigation and accurate discrimination, and those only can 
appreciate them who have been trained under the same whole- 
some discipline. These powdery heads or stars were found to 
exist, in some shape or other, in many supposed species of Bryum 
when carefully examined; and at length the Hedwigian discove- 
ries have, beyond a doubt, demonstrated them to be the male 
flowers, — consequently essential to every moss. For some years 
therefore, during the progress of these discoveries, botanists were 
at perpetual variance concerning the genera of many common 
mosses, which were by some writers referred to Bryum, by others 
to Mnium, according as the male flower was observed or not. It 
is but justice to the author of the Flora Anglica to remark, that, 
even in his first edition, he steered clear of this difficulty, by re- 
ferring to Mnium such only as have a naked head of male 
flowers ; by which, except the original Dillenian blunder respect- 
ing 2 or 3 Jungermanniee, he has pretty nearly preserved the na- 
tural genus entire. Lightfoot on the other hand, in his Flora 
Scotica, has indolently followed Linnaeus. Withering, so careful 
and attentive in some departments of the Cryptogamia, has in this 
most 
