ix.] ABOUT MOSSES AND LICHENS. 141 



sters of an experimental turn of mind, on account of 

 their extreme resistance to damp. If the hand be 

 rubbed over with these spores it may be plunged 

 into water without wetting- the flesh. One species 

 (L. alpinuni) is used in Iceland for dyeing wool 

 yellow. 



The true mosses (Musct) differ from the Club- 

 mosses in possessing no vessels , they are entirely 

 cellular in their structure. They are either erect or 

 creeping plants ; if the former they are unbranched, 

 if the latter branched. At the apex of their stems 

 they bear the reproductive organs ArcJiegonia and 

 AntJieridia. When the archegonium has been fer- 

 tilised by an antherozoid, it develops its nucleus, 

 which grows into an urn or capsule, covered by the 

 calyptra, which is the remains of the archegonium. 

 Within the capsule the spores are contained in the 

 form of exceedingly fine powder, which may be car- 

 ried great distances by the wind. Fig. 102 shows the 

 calyptra covering the sporange, shown in fig. 103. Op 

 is the operculum or lid, which opens when the spores 

 are ripe and sets them free. In many species the 

 mouth of the sporange is fringed with beautiful little 

 teeth, which form what is known as the peristome. 

 Fig. 104 represents the antheridia (an), together with 

 two cells from the same containing the curled-up 

 antherozoids by which the archegonia are fertilised. 

 They adhere to any damp surface, whether it be soil, 

 stone, or wood, and soon germinate, giving rise to a 

 thin felt-like mass of green threads. From this mass 

 the plant springs, and in turn bears the reproductive 

 organs. 



