50 



Class.— MUSCINE^. 



Sub-Class.— MUSCI. 

 Oi^dei?. —:B]?y in.se. 



Type. -A MOSS. FUNARIA HYGROMETRICA. 



General Characters. A small leafy plant, bear- 

 ing a stalked capsule, found abundantly in woods. 



LIFE HISTOEY FEOM THE SPOHE. 



The spore is round, with an outer euticularised 

 wall (exospore) and an inner wall of pure cellulose 

 (endospore). The cavity contains protoplasm and a 

 nucleus. 



The exospore bursts and the endospore protrudes, 

 forming a germ tube. It grows rapidly as a fila- 

 mentous structure and becomes septate. It branches 

 freely and forms ascending branches which contain large 

 chlorophyll grains. The procumbent filaments are 

 obliquely septate, a septum is always found in 

 front of a lateral branch. The part of the endospore 

 which lies opposite the germinating filament develops 

 into a rhizoid which jyenetrates into the ground. It 

 branches freely, its septa are very oblique and its 

 walls thick and brown. The whole of this tissue is 

 called the Protonema. 



