272 MOSS HABITATS. 



has a smooth fruit-stalk, aud lid with a longish curved beak. Many 

 other mosses will also usually be found in like habitats. 



Marly aud claj'cy banks will yield such mosses as Fusidens bryoides, 

 a very beautiful little moss, known by its flattened foliage, with leaves 

 on opposite sides of the stem, looking very fern-hke, fruit-stalk arising 

 from the top of the stem and surmounted by an erect reddish capsule, 

 with a cone-shaped lid, aud a fiinge of sixteen bifid teeth. The fruit of 

 this moss x'ipens from October to the end of the year. A larger species, 

 Fissidens taxifoUus, wiU frequently occur with this, but the fi'uit-stalk 

 arises from the base of the stem, the capsule is somewhat curved, and 

 has a longish beak; fruit ripe in November. A species similar to 

 F. bnjoidcs is also frequent in "Warwickshire, this is readily distin- 

 guished from it by the capsule, which is curved to one side. This is 

 Fissidens incurvus. This species ripens its fruit about February or March. 



Another moss, frequent on banks such as I have described, is 

 Tortilla unguicidata. It may be known by its somewhat tongue-shaped 

 leaves, terminated by a small mucro or point, and having the margin 

 recurved, or turned towards the lower siu'face ; the fringe of the peristome 

 consists of thirty-two spirally twisted teeth. It fruits from December to 

 April. A close ally, Tortula fallax, not unfrequent, has leaves tapering 

 from the base, a more curved capsule, and fringe also twisted. Another 

 frequenter of marly banks is the minute DicmncUa varia, which occurs 

 in patches of a reddish green colour. It has naiTowly lance-shaped 

 nearly erect leaves. The capsule is small and slightly inclined to one 

 side, and the conical hd has a very short beak ; the fringe consists of 

 sixteen deeply divided teeth. It fruits about November. 



Tortula aloidcs and T. amhigua frequently occur together on marly 

 and clayey banks. They are very closely alike, and can only be separated 

 by careful examination of minute details, but may be known from other 

 species occurring in like habitats by the short stem, dark gi-een somewhat 

 fleshy leaves, with the margins very much incurved. The capsule is 

 cylindrical aud erect in ambifiua, aud shghtly inchued in uloides. The 

 fringe is only slightly twisted. 



On calcareous banks, such mosses as Pottia cavifolia may be 

 sometimes fouud ; this is a small species, having large concave leaves, 

 often terminated by a whitish hair-like point. If the leaves be examined 

 with a lens, some peculiar membranous processes will be seen attached 

 to tbe veins of the upper surface. The capsule is egg-shaped, and the 

 mouth has no fringe, or is naked, and the hd has a short inclined beak. 

 Pottia truncata frequent on all sorts of banks, has a wide-mouthed 

 capsule, aud narrower leaves than the last-named variety, with no mem- 

 branous processes on the upper surface. Pottia la)iceolata is larger, and has 

 a fringe of sixteen slightly perforated teeth. The leaves are spreading, 

 somewhat oval-oblong in shape, and are tei'minated by a small green 

 point. P. cavifolia, ripens its fruit in February, P. truncata about 

 November, and P. lanccolata about May on sandy banks. Many other 

 species may be found, Pofionatum aloides and P. nanum, and (in elevated 

 or sub-alpine districts) P. tinii(jerum, Dicranella crispa, Milium stcllare, 

 Brijum aniiotinum, Jli/piium sijlvaticum, Phascum subidatum, &c., while on 

 clayey or calcareous banks, such mosses &sllijpnum molluscum,II. Swartzii, 

 H. lutescens, Weissia mucroiiata, Phascum 2Jrt?e;is,&c., will often be met with. 



fTO BE CONTINUED.] 



