ON SOME CRITICAL SPECIES OF SCOTTISH MOSSES in 



a little longer near the base ; capsule on a longish, red seta, upright 

 or slightly bent, long, cylindrical with a straight, subulate lid as 

 long as the capsule itself, covered by a slender, dimidiate calyptra ; 

 teeth red, long, not fully matured. 



This moss is evidently more allied to B. spadicea than to the 

 others. At first blush it has more the appearance of a form of 

 Dichodontium pellucidum, which grows about 200 yards distant 

 from it, and in colour almost identical. 



With reference to D. pelluddum, I may state here that I have 

 a moss from Mrs. Cunningham Graham of Gartmore, with leaves 

 exactly as in D. flavescens, but showing short, ovate capsules as 

 much cernuous as in D. pelluddum. 



Dr. Braithwaite states, in his work on British Mosses, that he 

 has never seen such a combination, accordingly he has distinguished 

 D. flavescens as a species from D. pelluddum, although almost every 

 other bryologist inserts D. flavescens as merely a variety of it. 



LEPTOTRICHUM COMPACTUM (Strn.) from Ben Lawers, of which 

 I gave a description many years ago, is certainly distinct from the 

 variety densum of L. flexicaule, to which Dr. Braithwaite refers it. 

 By the way, the variety densum is also found on Ben Lawers, and 

 is not infrequent on the West Coast, as at Connel Ferry, etc. 



In very dense tufts 2 to 3 inches in height. Stems densely 

 interlaced throughout with strong red radicles, simple or slightly 

 branched ; leaves widely spreading from an upright, broad, slightly 

 clasping base, which is slightly wider above, suddenly narrowing into 

 the transversely concave, subulate upper part. The expanded basal 

 portion is one-third the length of leaf, which is about 2 mm. 

 Central basal cells bluntly oblong, 0.025 to -4 by 0.008 to o.on 

 mm., in three to five short perpendicular rows, outward smaller, and 

 near margin, much as those above ; upper cells large, ovate, o.oi i to 

 0.017 by 0.007 to 0.009 mm., somewhat smaller near margin, slightly 

 longer near the narrowly-rounded entire apex which is very often 

 tipped with a single hyaline cell, or by a hyaline border ; nerve 

 strong below, well defined, turning reddish, about one-fourth the 

 breadth of base, tapering and vanishing below apex. Almost con- 

 stantly there is seen a single and, at times, a double row of long, 

 slender pellucid cells at alar base, and for a considerable distance 

 upwards; dimensions, o.oiS to 0.024 by 0.004 mm. 



At various times during my rambles on the mountains, I have 

 got on Ben Lomond and on through Ben Voirlich to the Breadal- 

 bane ranges, a minute, densely-tufted moss, always in a barren state, 

 which I generally threw away. One small tuft I sent to Professor 

 Schimper, of Strasbourg, who returned it with the remark to the 

 effect that he failed to recognise the plant, but thought it might be 

 a form of Dicranella varia. Recently I alighted on the identical 

 tuft sent. An examination of the leaf revealed areolation quite 



