490 HEPATIC.^. 



•3 mm. to '5 mm. thick; cells of scales '04 mm., -05 mm. ; spores 

 •075 mm. x '05 mm. 



Hab. — On banks and mud-covered walls. 7. Barmouth, 

 Merionethshire, ./. Balfs, Dr. Carrhir/fon, W. IF. P., and others. 

 Very rare. 



Found on the Continent and in jN'orth America. 



Obs. — Avery rare and distinct species, the dark purple, almost 

 black, semi-circular scales on the iuflexed margins easily distin- 

 guishing- it. 



Herr Stephani considers the British species to be distinct from 

 Biccia iiif/rclla D.C, and has published it in his " Sjj. Hep.'' as 

 Biccia Bearsoni. It seems very ungracious to question his deter- 

 mination when he does me such honour, but I have not been able 

 to satisfy myself as to our British species being distinct from 

 French specimens upon which De CandoHe founded his species. 



All French specimens I have had the opportunity of examining 

 are dioicous like our British ; the specimens in my copy of 

 Husnot's Hep. Gall. n. 96, are male plants. JStephani gives the 

 size of the British, species as 10* mm. long, but 1 have examined 

 a great number of specimens, and find them very regular in size, 

 like the French and Italian, 3"5 mm. to 4" mm. long; the apices 

 are all more or less rotundate, the channel varies in being more 

 or less sulcate ; cross-sections of British specimens agree exactly 

 with French ones. He also describes the spores as being different 

 in size, but I find those of Italian plants to be similar to the 

 British, '075 mm. x 05 mm. 



I wrote to Herr Stephani expressing my regret that I could 

 not agree with his observations, and he wrote the following 

 characteristic kindly letter : " You are perfectly at liberty to 

 doubt my publication and to give expression to it. I am not 

 touchy at all. The drawings I here give are copies of \w\ tbrmer 

 examinations ; you see the form oi the Italian plant is altogether 

 different from that of the English one, and thh alojie icoidd be 

 sufficient, all other points being equal. I have examined a great 

 number of plants, which you kindly sent years ago, and 1 cannot 

 help differing from you." 



