'256 Dr. Smith's Remarks on the Generic Characters of Mosses, 



already made it, a most distinct genus of Alga, the Blasia pusilla 

 of himself and Linnaeus. 



Linnreus, in just conformity to the principle he had adopted, 

 referred to Mnium every moss with a terminal fruit-stalk, in which 

 the powdery head or star of male flowers, supposed by him fe- 

 male, had been found ; but this tended in no small degree to per- 

 plex his followers. Some of them indeed, chiefly intent on compil- 

 ing catalogues, and having an implicit confidence in their master, 

 never disputed the genus of any plant which he had fixed. The 

 homage of such pupils, however, could not conduce much to his 

 honour; for such imperfect observers could be no adequate judges 

 of his merit. His own talents were formed in the school of severe 

 investigation and accurate discrimination, and those only can 

 appreciate them who have been trained under the same whole- 

 some discipline. These powdery heads or stars were found to 

 exist, in some shape or other, in many supposed species of Bryum 

 when carefully examined ; and at length the Hedwigian discove- 

 ries have, beyond a doubt, demonstrated them to be the male 

 flowers, — consequently essential to every moss. For some years 

 therefore, during the progress of these discoveries, botanists were 

 at perpetual variance concerning the genera of many common 

 mosses, which were by some writers referred to Bryum, by others 

 to Mnium, according as the male flower was observed or not. It 

 is but justice to the author of the Flora Anglica to remark, that, 

 even in his first edition, he steered clear of this difficulty, by re- 

 ferring to Mnium such only as have a naked head of male 

 flowers; by which, except the original Dillenian blunder respect- 

 ing 2 or 3 J unger mannicB, he has pretty nearly preserved the na- 

 tural genus entire. Lightfoot on the other hand, in his Flora 

 Scotica, has indolently followed Linnaeus. Withering, so careful 

 and attentive in some departments of the Cryptogamia, has in this 



most 



