48 



BRITISH MOSSES. 



PP 



expedient. Bound the base 

 and sides of the leaf, clus- 

 ters of half free cells, with 

 spirally marked walls, are 

 clustered, ready, like their 

 sister cells in the leaf, to 

 carry their full complement 

 of water. Such a group is 

 shown (magnified of course) 

 in Fig. 30. 



The stem of the Sphag- 

 num in like manner is 

 developed as a water-carry- 

 ing instrument. Its appear- 

 ance when examined by the 

 microscope, as shown in 

 Fig. 27 and in Fig. 31, 

 is very singular, for it 

 is surrounded not only 

 with large transparent cells 

 of more ordinary shape, 

 but with large cells de- 

 veloped into the shape of 

 flasks, with openings at 

 their tops. Fig. 32 will 

 enable the reader further 

 to realize this structure. 



FIG. 29. Lateral branches of SpJiag- It IS a highly - magnified 



num ; s s, stem ; h h, horizontal se ction of a quarter of a 

 branches ; pp, pendant branches. 



After Schimper. stem. 



