tsoS, ■ Notes. 187 



The only regret oue feels in this matter is that the scheme involves 

 the loss of the time-hououred twelve-fold subdivision of Babington, which 

 is endeared to every Irish botanist by its association with " Cybele 

 Hibernica" and its honoured authors, David Moore and A. G. More. 

 But the best compliment which we can pay to the memory of those 

 pioneers is to be ourselves pioneers, and to use whatever new tool will 

 aid the stud}' of those distributional problems to the solution of which 

 they so material!}- contributed. 



R. L1.0VD Prap:gkr. 



Dublin. 



Dicranum Scottii. 



Canon Lett's interesting history of this moss in last month's number 

 of this Journal led me to endeavour to find out how Dr. Moore, in his 

 "Synopsis of the Mosses of Ireland," was led unconsciously to associate 

 Hyp)ui77i revolvens with Schistidiuvi niaritimiim instead of Scott's moss, as 

 two of the plants for the discovery of which in Ireland Dr. Scott received 

 the premium from the Royal Dublin Society in 1803. At the time Dr. 

 Moore wrote the paper above referred to (often under difficulties), 

 Wilson's " Bryologia Britannica" was the standard work, which Moore 

 constantly used when examining critical mosses. At p. 388, under 

 Hypniivi revolvens, one of the localities given is "near Swaulinbar, Ire- 

 land, Dr. Scott," while under Dicrauuvi Scottiantiin, at p. 75, no locality 

 is recorded. He writes, '• Hab. — On rocks in mountainous districts," so 

 that Wilson also was unaware of its previous history. Turning to 

 Mackay's "Flora Hibernica," at p. 23 of Part II., there is an excellent 

 description of Dr. vScott's plant, the localities given are " wood at 

 Blackwater bridge," and •' banks of Looscaunuch Lake," Co. Kerry. 

 In Hooker and Taylors "Muscologia Britannica" (1827), p, 100, no 

 locality is given for the same moss ; " On rocks in mountainous 

 districts " is all the information given, so that these excellent 

 authorities on the subject were also unaware of the previous history of 

 Scott's moss, probably for want of a bibliography of work done by pre- 

 vious authors. 



Turner, in his '• MuscologicC Hibernicae Spicilegium," describes 

 Dicramun Scottiaiutiii. At p. 76 he writes — " Primus hanc speciem in 

 saxis prope vSwanlinbar detexit D. Scott, cujus nomen imposui." 

 There is a drawing of the plant at fig. VI. At page 189, under Hypniiin 

 revolvens, he writes, " In Hibernia prope Swanliubar, sed absque fructu, 

 legit D. vScott." If Dr. Moore quoted from Wilson when writing his work, 

 (and it is more than probable he did), finding no locality recorded there 

 for Dicranum Scottii, and Swanliubar quoted by both Wilson and Turner, 

 he would naturally conclude that Hypnum revolver was the moss to 

 include with ScJiistidiuni inaritimutn. 



David M'Ardi.e. 

 Giasnevin. 



