TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



XXXVI. 



ON SOME FORMS OF SPHAGNA FOUND IN 

 THE GLENKENS, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. 



BY JAMES M'ANDREW. 



[Read 23rd February, 1886.] 



Three years ago Mr. William Curnow, of Penzance, 

 strongly advised nie to gather and study the Sphagna 

 of my own immediate district, assuring me that my 

 labours would be amply repaid, and remarking 

 that in his own experience it was surprising how 

 many species, varieties, and forms of this genus 

 may be gathered over a very limited area, and 

 in places at first sight apparently unpropitious. 

 With the bribe of having all doubtful specimens 

 determined, as far as Mr. Curnow knew the 

 Sphagna, I set to work, with the pleasing 

 result that I have collected in this district 

 all the British species of Sphagna given in The 

 London Catalogue of British Mosses (1881), except 

 Sphagnum Lindbergii, of which 1 have not yet 

 despaired; and all the varieties, except var. gracile 

 of S. acutifoliuin and var. squarrosuluni of S, 

 strictum (both of which are as yet considered doubt- 

 ful British plants) ; vars. hnhricatuin and laxum of 

 S. squarrosum ; var. pulchrum of S, intermedium ; 

 var. platyphyllum of S. laricinum', and var. longi- 

 folium of S. tenellum, — in all, one species, and seven 

 (or rather, five) varieties not yet found. I am aware 

 that Dr. Braithwaite, followed by Mr. Hobkirk in 

 his Synopsis of the British 3Iosses (2nd edition, 1884), 

 has included other varieties recorded from Great 

 Britain. These I do not yet know. 



This shows that until any district has been 

 thoroughly searched, no one can tell what may 

 be gathered in it; but time, patience, methodical 



