-89— 



crisped after the manner of curled hair. Its capsules are single, 

 and much shorter and more strongly arcuate than in the above 

 species. Under the microscope it is at once distinguished by the 

 short upper leaf cells nearly or quite as broad as long and often 

 quadrate. None of the leaf cells are porose (rarely a very few- 

 near the base). 



Another species with curved capsules is the pale Dicranum 

 {D. pallidum, D. spurium condensatum of L. «S: J. Manual). 

 This is found on sandy plains in New Jersey and the neighboring 

 territory, but is probably not found elsewhere within the range 

 mentioned above. It is distinguished from all the above men- 

 tioned species by its small size (less than one inch in height); 

 from the broom moss by its short irregular upper leaf cells with 

 cell walls without pores, excepting a very few in the lower part; 

 from the fuscous Dicranum by the more compact tufts, and leaves 

 equally spreading, not secund, and little crisped. 



There are two common species with erect straight capsules. 

 Of these two, the flagellate Dicranum {D. flagellar e) is much the 

 more common. It is found in moist woods nearly everywhere. 

 It grows on decayed logs and stumps, and often produces abun 

 dant flagellae from the upper part of the plant. These flagellar 

 bear minute ecostate leaves very different from those on the main 

 plant. In this species the costa does not extend to the apex of 

 .the leaf. 



The other erect capsuled Dicranum, the fulvous Dicranum 

 {D. fiilvnm) gvQM^s on rocks and has the costa excurrent — that 

 is, extending beyond the lamina of the leaf into a thick point. 

 In our next number we plan to publish an entirely new key to the 

 whole twenty species. This key will be especially adapted to the 

 use of beginners. We also hope to have some of the rarer species 

 to distribute. 



MICROSCOPIC PREPARATIONS OF MOSSES. 



PORTIONS of the types of Hedwig's species, many of which 

 are North American, and all of which date back to the be- 

 ginning of this century, are preserved at the Boissicr Her- 

 barium in Geneva, mounted on small mica slides. The medium 

 is a very durable one, for all the slides which I have examined 

 have kept perfectly, and it seems to have been easily handled, for 

 the specimens are not shrivelled or broken. I have since adopted 

 this method for keeping all dissections that I make of the mosses, 



