310 



THE MICROSCOPE. 



upon a foot stalk ; and this at length tears across the 

 walls of the flask-shaped body, carrying the higher 

 part upwards as a calyptra or hood upon its summit, 

 while the lower part remains to form a kind of collar 

 round the base. These spore-capsules are closed on their 

 summit by opercula or lids, and their mouths when 

 laid open are surrounded by a beautiful toothed fringe, 

 termed the peristome. This fringe is shown in fig. 164 

 in mouth of capsule of Funaria, with its peristome 

 in situ. The fringes of teeth are variously constructed, 



and are of great service in discrimi- 

 nating the genera. In JV eel-era anti- 

 pyretica, fig 165, the peristome is 

 double, the inner being composed of 

 teeth united by cross bars, forming 

 a very pretty trellis. The seed spores 

 are contained in the upper part of 

 the capsule, where they are clus- 

 tered round a central pillar, which 

 Fig. 165.— Double Peristome oj is termed the columella ; and at the 

 ntipyn WmQ of maturity, the interior of the 



capsule is almost entirely occupied by spores. 



It may here be mentioned, that all mosses and lichens 

 are more easily detached from the rocks and walls on 

 which they grow in frosty weather than at any other 



season, and consequently 

 they are best studied in 

 winter. One of the com- 

 monest, Scale-moss, fig. 

 166 (Jungermannia biden- 

 tata), grows in patches, 

 in moist, shady situa- 

 tions, near the roots of 

 trees: see Plate II. JNos. 

 35 and 36. The seed- 

 vessels are little oval bodies, which if gathered when 

 unexpanded, and brought into a warm room, burst 

 under the eye with violence the moment a drop of 

 water is applied to them, the valves of the vessel taking 

 the shape of a cross, and the seeds distending in a cloud 

 of brown dust. If this dust be examined with the 



Fig. 166.— Scale-Moss. 



