The Scottish Naturalist. 123 



ordinary student, synonymy is really of very little use ; and it is 

 very little attended to. ' Besides we are, just now, very much at 

 sea with regard to the true names and synonymy of many 

 species, and will so continue until Lindberg publishes his work 

 on the synonymy of European and North American Mosses — 

 a work for which he has been ransacking such old herbaria 

 and writings as those of Micheli and Dillenius. 



In the above particulars Mr. Hobkirk has acted wisely ; but 

 we think he has done unwisely in not giving an introduction in 

 which the structure, organs, biography, uses, <xx., of Mosses 

 could have been explained, and in which some indications 

 might have been given of the channels into which bryological 

 study is running at present. Such an introduction would have 

 cleared away from the path of beginners a number of those 

 difficulties which are so apt to dishearten all except the most 

 resolute, would have at the outset invested the study with an 

 interest which would have carried the student on over the thres- 

 hold when his advance would then have become pretty certain, 

 and would have shown reason for a probable departure from a 

 system of classification which, though very easy, may be more 

 artificial than philosophical. 



The classification adopted by the Synopsis is mainly that of 

 Wilson, which being founded very- much on the position Of the 

 fruitstalk and the development and character of the peristome, 

 very unnaturally removes some genera from those with which 

 they are most intimately connected, and places them side by 

 side with those to which they have not the most distant resem- 

 blance. In consequence we here have A?i<xctangium separated 

 from Gymnostomum to which it is so closely allied in every 

 particular, and placed in close contact with Leucodon, a genus as 

 dissimilar as can well be conceived. With regard to the 

 Hypnaccce the classification of Schimper is followed with slight 

 modifications. 



Occasionally the classification of Mitten is engrafted upon 

 Wilson's with rather comical results. Wilson lavs erreat stress 

 upon the presence or absence of a peristome, and so retains 

 Gymnostomum, which has no peristome, as a distinct genus from 

 Weiss ia which has, Pottia from Anacalyjta, Anodus from 

 Seligeria, Sec. Mitten regards the peristome as of little 

 consequence, and therefore unites Pottia with Anacalypta> and 



