Some Questions which they Suggest. 45 



moisture they twist and twirl and thus separate and dis- 

 perse the spores. In Trichia the sporangium opens by the 

 bursting of the upper part of the case, and then the hairs, 

 covered with the spores, pour out over the remaining part 

 of the sporangium, so that it appears as if covered by a 

 piece of delicate fur. 



In some cases the hairs have not only a spiral thicken- 

 ing, but are furnished with projections, bristles or cogs of 



Fio. 12. Elaters and spores of Trichia varia. 



varying shapes. In one species, Hemitrichia rubiformis, 

 the hair is so thickly beset with bristles that under the 

 microscope it looks like the prickly stem of the bramble, 

 and hence it derives its specific name. In some genera 

 the hairs, as well as the spores, are remarkable for their 

 bright golden yellow colour. 



