MISCELLANEA BBYOLOGICA 79 



collection labelled in Schimper's own hand *' Bryum erythrocarpoides 

 Hpe. & C. M., 156, N. Zealand [ex herb. Hpe.]." 



The bottom is therefore knocked out of B. Besclierellei Jaeg. 

 Comparison of Knight's N.Z. plant and the original (Australian) 

 B, erythrocarpoides Hampe & C. M. at first sight, it is true, suggests 

 a difference, as the latter has rather wider, paler capsules with a quite 

 obtuse lid, whereas the No. 156, N. Zealand has dark purple brown 

 capsules with acute, apiculate lids, points which might constitute a 

 difference ; but as the latter plant is labelled B. erythrocarpoides Hpe. 

 & C. M., and is from Hampe's own herbarium, it is clear that both 

 plants fall under the same species according to Hampe's own thinking. 

 And further, New Zealand plants showing an intermediate form 

 of lid occur in Schimper's herbarium as '' B, erythrocarpoides 

 Hpe. & C. M., Tauranga, leg. Hutton, 1866." These have exactly 

 conical, obtuse lids, and others highly convex and distinctly apiculate, 

 on the same gathering, and show that Hampe and Schimper were 

 quite right in uniting them under B. erythrocarpoides Hampe & C. M. 



A further difference might appear to consist in the inflorescence, 

 as Bescherelle describes his " B. erythrocarpoides Scliimp." as 

 synoicous, while all the other plants are dioicous. The New Zealand 

 specimens on which Bescherelle bases his species (leg. Knight) are, 

 however, certainly not synoicous, and it appears that Bescherelle was 

 deceived in this respect \cf. Brotherus, 3Iusci, p. 589). In that case, 

 B. ery thro car pulum CM., which according to the author is differen- 

 tiated from Bescherelle's New Caledonian plant principally — probably 

 entirely — on the ground of its dioicous inflorescence, must clearly fall 

 into the same synonj^my. 



The matter may be summed up thus : — {a) there is no difference 

 between B. erythrocarpoides Hampe & C. M. and B, erythrocar- 

 poides Schimp, ; {h) Schimper never supposed there was any. 



The synonymy will then stand thus — with further synonyms 

 probably to be added later : — 



Brtum eetthrocaepoides Hampe & C. M. in Linn. 495 

 (1853), 



Syn. B. erythrocarpoides Schimp. e Bescherelle in Ann. Sci. Nat. 

 5 Ser. xviii. 214 (1873). 

 B. Bescherellei Jaeg. Adumbr. i. 627 (1873-4) nee B. 

 Bescherellei Ren. & Card, in Bull. Soc. roy, Belg. 1891, 

 ii. 188. 

 B, torulosicollum C. M. in Hedwig. xxxvii. 90 (1898). 

 B. erythrocarpulum C. M. op. et loc. cit. 



Baebella letieei (Ren. & €ard.) Fleisch. c. fr. 

 Meteorium Levieri was described by Ren. & Card, in Bull. Soc. 

 roy. Belg. xli. pt. 1, p. 78, from sterile plants collected in the Sikkim 

 Himalayas, and from Japan, and subsequently recorded from Formosa. 

 A plant sent to me from the N.Y. Bot. Garden, from Mitten's her- 

 barium, '* Meteorium, Pathkay *, Griflith " agrees vegetatively with 



* The second syllable is luicertain, — on another label it was transcribed 

 Pathkoi. 



