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CONTRIBUTION TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOSSES 

 OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



By William Fohsyth. 



If an apology were required for Ijriiiging this paper under the 

 notice of the memljers of this Society, the general want of know- 

 ledge prevailing even amongst botanists with respect to the mosses 

 of New South Wales would, I think, be considered ample. 



No list or catalogue of the mosses of Australia has been 

 published since the date of issue of Mr. Mitten's list in 1882. 

 Many species have been discovered since that time, but from the 

 fact that nearl}' all the collections have been sent for determina- 

 tion to specialists in Europe, and the descriptions of new species 

 published in European jiublications — not always obtainal)le here 

 — information regarding them is very meagre indeed, and to 

 ascertain what has or has not been recorded is a matter of no 

 little difficulty and some uncertainty. 



It is, therefore, with the object of furnishing some little 

 information with regard to geographical distribution, etc., that 

 the writer submits the following list. Many of the species have 

 not hitherto been recorded for New South Wales, and some of them 

 have been recorded in so indefinite a manner as to be next to useless 

 so far as affording any guide to the collector is concerned. Some 

 new localities also are given for species already definitely recorded. 



The total number of species under notice is 61, of which 43 are 

 new for the colony, the remaining number furnishing new locali- 

 ties; and 26 are recorded from Port Jackson. 



Although much care has l^een taken to have the given localities, 

 etc., as full and correct as possible, still some incompleteness 

 cannot be unexpected in a list which must neccessai'ily be of a 

 tentative character. 



It has only to be stated that the specimens from which the 

 species were determined passed through the hands of the eminent 

 bryologist, Dr. Brotherus, of Helsingfors, to banish any doubt as 

 to the correctness of the namini;-. 



