~ On the Parts of Fructification in Mosses. 818 
Be in the hand of every scicntific botanist, I refer for a full 
aecount of M. Beauvois hypothesis, and confine myself to ob- — 
serving, that what is generally called the capsule of Mosses is 
by him considered as the containing organ of both sexes; that 
the granules which Hedwig supposes to be seeds, he regards as 
pollen; the real seeds according to him being imbedded in the 
substance of that body which occupies the centre of the cap- 
sule, and to which botanists have given the name of columnula 
or columella. ‘The supposed’ seeds: of this author, however, 
having entirely escaped the two.most:acute and experienced ob- 
servers. in this department of. botany, Schmidel and Hedwig, in 
all the species of which they have given. dissections, it might 
fairly be concluded that they are not of universal existence, and 
this alone would be sufficient perhaps to overturn the hypo- 
thesis.. But it would be more satisfactory, if, while the accuracy 
of these excellent observers was- confirmed. in. other instances,. 
the cause of that appearance, which. I apprehend has misled. 
M. Beauvois, could at the same time be pointed out. The 
species: more particularly described and figured by him in the 
American Transactions,.is Hypnum velutinum; which therefore,. 
had it been in a proper state, I should have preferred as the sub- 
ject of my examination; but as he asserts that his observations- 
were repeated, and with similar results, on all the species of 
Mosses: found in the neighbourhood of Paris and Lisle, I have 
chosen Funaria hygrometrica, perhaps the most general plant in 
existence; which therefore must have been. examined by him, and 
is within the reach of every one. | | 
As, according to M. Beauvois, the aetion of the pollen on. 
the seeds: does: not take place till the separation of the operculum, 
he probably. did not conceive it necessary to observe the capsule 
until it had aequired its full size, and was in fact. nearly ripe, 
! or, 
