'22O MOSSES. CHAP. II. 



gathered in the month of May or June. The 

 former Hedwig regards as stamens distinguishable 

 into filament and anther, the anther longer and 

 somewhat cylindrical, but generally approaching 

 more or less to club or egg-shaped, and both not ex- 

 ceeding the one-fiftieth part of an inch in length. The 

 latter or necklace looking substances, which are gene- 

 rally somewhat longer than the stamens though less 

 in diameter, do not yet seem to be well understood. 

 Hedwig, without pretending absolutely to decide 

 upon their use, calls them merely the succulent 

 threads that accompany the stamens, but seems at 

 the same time to believe that they assist fecundation, 

 by means of securing a plentiful supply of mois- 

 ture ; * while he infers the stamens to be such from 

 the presumptive evidence of the similarity of their 

 substance and structure to that of the stamens of 

 perfect plants, and of their opening also at the top 

 when ripe and discharging a fine pollen which 

 phenomenon may be seen by means of placing a 

 stamen fully ripe under a high magnifier and 

 wetting it with a drop of water. The summit of 

 the anther bursts open and the pollen explodes.^ 



SUBSECTION II. 



Distribu- Fertile Flowers. The fertile flowers of the 

 Mosses are, like the barren flowers, generally ter- 



tion. 



* Fund. Hist. Nat. chap. xi. 



t Fund. Hist. Nat. Muse. chap. viii. 



