i io ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



culate at apex and toothed a little down the margin, almost 

 always a little curved towards the apex, which is rendered 

 thereby somewhat cucullate, pellucidly and bluntly toothed or 

 serrated, rather regularly, on the back in the upper half, very 

 concave, almost tubular above, with small, feebly developed 

 auricles at the base, composed, at first, of hexagonal colour- 

 less cells which become, next the nerve, tinted of a wine 

 colour, rarely entirely so tinted ; central basal cells of the 

 narrow pagina oblong, rather small, 20 to 30 by 7 to io ; 

 outwardly the basal cells much narrower, but not so narrow 

 at the margin as those of allied species ; upwards, the cells 

 much smaller and quadrate, io to 17 by 5 to 7 ; nerve very 

 broad, occupying, near the base, three-fourths or more of 

 the entire breadth of leaf, thickness near the apex about 40, 

 becoming thicker downwards, until near the base the thick- 

 ness is nearly doubled or about 70, composed of four rows 

 of cells, those of the anterior row pellucid, measuring from 

 7 to 24 across, occasionally as much as 30, increasing in 

 size downwards ; second row also of pellucid cells, from 5 

 to i 3 ; third row, from 3 to 7, irregular ; fourth or posterior 

 row of large, pellucid, protruding or bulging, detached cells, 

 from 6 to 13, which continue to enlarge almost to the base 

 (a condition almost unique), where they are fully developed 

 and not collapsed, at least in a recent state ; groups of small 

 sterei'd cells in abundance in the space between the second and 

 third rows of cells, often as many as 7 or even 8 in a group. 



In C. fuscoluteus, an allied species, the sterei'd cells are 

 found surrounding those of the second row in the great 

 majority of instances. The tomentum covering the base of 

 leaf in C. purpurascens is of a beautiful violet colour which 

 merges ultimately to purple. Another form of this tomentum 

 is seen in other examples, covering the plant generally, also 

 at first violet which deepens to purple, and often ultimately 

 assumes a sordid appearance. This tomentum imparts a 

 beautiful aspect to the moss when freshly gathered. There 

 are no septa in the fibres of this tomentum. This is the 

 only instance where I have seen such a colour. 



In wettish places at several stations near Tarbert. 



The form covered, in part, with the dense, violet-coloured 

 tomentum may be distinguished by the name, var. ornatus. 



