NECKERA. 77 



with a central line, rmd are often cleft at the extremity. 

 Their colour is a pale yellowish brown. That of the inner 

 fringe or cilia is a fine red; their number is 16 ; they are 

 slightly tapering, and decidedly jointed, but not so monili- 

 fcrm as in the preceding, nor have we ever seen lateral ap- 

 pendages to the joints. Calyptra very hairy, narrower than 

 in 0. striatum, and all over of the same brown colour. 



We are by no means sure that Hedwig, in his figure of the 

 capsule of his O. st-riatum, in his Stirpes, has not given 

 that of this species, with which it certainly agrees in the 

 striation, apophysis, and in a great measure in the shape of 

 the ciliary processes. These, however, are represented too 

 moniliform for our plant, yet not enough so for that of O. 

 siiiatum; and the colour is that of the last mentioned. 



25. NECKERA. 



GEN, CHAR. Fruit stalks lateral; Peristome double ; 

 the outer of 16 teeth, the inner of 16 cilia, con- 

 nected only at the very base by a short membrane ; 

 Calyptra dimidiate. (TAB. III.) 



A careful dissection of the inner fringe of either of the spe- 

 cies Included under this genus will exhibit a peristome very 

 closely resembling that of Lesked of Hedwig, from which in- 

 deed it must be confessed that Neckera is too nearly allied, dif- 

 fering culy ii/ having the membrane which unites the cilia at the 

 base so short as scarcely to rise at all above the mouth of the 

 capsule. The same reasons which induce us to unite Leskea with 

 Hyp'nJtm should have prevailed with us to add to them Neckera 

 also, if it were not a genus so universally adopted that we do 

 not ktiow of any muscolog-ist who has not kept it distinct. The 

 fiabit of the British species approaches very nearly to that of 

 Hypmtm tric/iomanoidfs and Hypnum complanalum. Like 

 them the leaves are bifarious and distichous. 



1. N.pumila', leaves ovate-acuminate, slightly concave, their 

 margins recurved ; fruitstalks scarcely longer than the pe- 

 richaetial leaves ; capsule oblongo- ovate. (TAB. XXII.) 



