Bkown. — On Neio Zealand Musci. 453 



but on comparing the figures of their respective capsules and 

 peristomes it will at once be seen that there is a great differ- 

 ence. 



The moss which I have placed with some doubt as a variety 

 of D. guUiverii was found by me in the Weka Pass in an im- 

 perfect condition, being overmatured (PI. XXXT., fig. 15), The 

 operculum given with this drawing was found in the middle of 

 the tuft, as if it had fallen from the capsule and become im- 

 bedded there. It fitted exactly the mouth of the capsule, and I 

 have completed the drawing by adding the doubtful operculum. 

 If, on further details of this plant being found, it is shown I 

 am right in placing this operculum and capsule together, the 

 name longirostrum w^ould apply to this moss with singular 

 force. I know of no other moss to which this operculum could 

 belong. The capsule of the variety differs from that of D. 

 gnlliverii in being considerably shorter and slightly broader. 



With regard to the moss which I have placed as a variety 

 of D. tasmanicum, I have only a very small quantity, as it was 

 quite accidentally collected by me, along with some other 

 mosses, at Paterson's Creek, Otarama, and was not discovered 

 until my arrival at home. 



In the second section (Section B), of which D. biUarclierii is 

 the typical plant, are placed those species which have cylindric 

 . capsules. Most of these have already been described in the 

 Handbook, but, as difficulty will be found in identifying those 

 grown in high altitudes, owing in the first place to the want of 

 sufficient illustrative drawings, and in the next place to the 

 fact that the plants grown there and exposed to severe climatic 

 influences, open situations, &c., are greatly reduced in size in 

 comparison with those grown under more favourable circum- 

 stances, I have drav/n these (already described) to the same 

 scale as the other plants, and have pointed out what I consider 

 their distinctive characters for the benefit of those that fol- 

 low. These are marked with an asterisk. 



The drawings accompanying this paper were all taken with 

 a power of 25 diameters. As the distinctions between a very 

 large number of these mosses are microscopic (as well as some 

 of the plants themselves), any drawing much under this magni 

 fication would be practically useless for the purposes of com- 

 parison and identification. 



Section A. ,.^'^- ^ 



Caj^sules more or less ovate. 



1. Dicranum pygmaeum. 



2. „ pusillum. 



3. „ variabile. 



4. „ erecto-thecum. 



■^s^^ 



K.-' 



