286 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



The actual O. leptocarpum C. M. is represented in Schimper's 

 lierbarium by a half-sheet of specimens under the MS. name of 

 " O. ahyssinicum Hpe. MS." It is in good condition and pure. It 

 quite agrees with C. Mueller's description in the Synopsis, and also 

 with the specimen of no. 488 already cited. 



The plant with smooth exserted capsules intended as O. lepto- 

 carpum by Br. & Schimp., and no doubt distributed under that name, 

 has already been described and published. It is 0. fir mum Yent. in 

 Nuov. Giorn. bot. iv. 15 (1872). This was based on one of Schimper's 

 gatherings " In reg. Bogos Abyssinise circa Keren." It must evi- 

 dently be a common plant in that district, and differs from O. specio- 

 siim only, but quite sufficiently, by having 16 processes on the inner 

 peristome. 



Bruch appears, from his specimen (c) above, to have taken a 

 different view from Schimper, or else to have recognized that the 

 plant intended by them for O. leptocarpum was not the plant actually 

 described by C. M. ; and he therefore called the former O. molluscum. 

 Venturi's publication, however, precludes the adoption of Bruch's MS. 

 name. 



The two will arrange themselves thus : — 



O. LEPTOCARPUM C. M. Syn. i. 706 (1849). 



Type. Abyssinia, in monte Silke ; Schimper, no. 429 h, iter Abyss, 

 p. p. ; in herb. C. M. 



0. FTRMUM Vent, in Nuov. Giorn. bot. iv. 15 (1872) (O. lepto- 

 carpum Schp. MS. in herb., nee C. Mueller). 



Type. Circa Keren, Abyssinia ; Schimper. Co-types ; Schimp. 

 iter Abyss, nos. 429 h p. p., and 488 p. p. Simen, Abyssinia ; Schimper, 

 in herb. Schimp. 



Brachythecium decuryans (Mitt.) Jaeg. 



This nortli Indian moss was described by Mitten, as Ilypnum 

 decurvans, in the Muse. Ind. Or., from a plant collected by Royle, 

 *' In Himalaya boreal-occident.," and another by Thomson, by the 

 Sutlej (no. 1011). It is compared by Mitten with H. cameratum, 

 and is placed by Brotherus, in the Musci, under Cirriphi/llum. 



I have an original specimen of Royle's (comm. N.Y. Bot. Gard., 

 ex herb. Mitten) ; and have compared several other specimens, <?. g. 

 no. 21, Bryoth. exot., E. Levier, coll. Gollan, and others at Kew. 

 There can be no doubt that the plant is a Bryhnia, and so close to 

 B. novcB-anglice (Lesq. & Sull.) Grout that it is exceedinglv doubt- 

 ful if it be specifically distinct. Vegetatively it is identical, and the 

 only difference I have been able to detect is that the lid in B. de- 

 curvans is rather more longly and finely rostrate, and on this ground 

 I do not venture to reduce it to B. novcd-anglice, although I have 

 found here and there on N. American plants {e.g., Aust. M. Appalach., 

 no. 329) capsules with the lid very near at least to the Himalayan 

 species. There would be nothing remarkable if this should prove 

 identical with Sull. & Lesqueureux' species, as that, besides having a 

 wide distribution in the northern parts of N. America, is known 



