MOSSES 63 



of the capsule mouth. It will be noticed that 

 in the process the lid itself has not only been 

 loosened, but has been distinctly raised some little 

 distance, and is now probably in such a position 

 that it would be easily blown off. As showing 

 the extreme sensitiveness of the cells of which the 

 ring is formed I may mention that when, in 

 the process of mounting a slide, one of the rings 

 has been transferred from the end of the capsule 

 to the preparatory fluid more particularly referred 

 to in Chapter IV., I have seen it twist and skip 

 about for some little time as though it were alive, 

 owing, no doubt, to the violent contraction of the 

 cell-walls, brought about by the glycerine in the 

 fluid. 



In many mosses the ring is absent, and here 

 the lid is gradually pushed off by the growth of 

 the capsule itself; in other plants there is no 

 lid at all, and here one of two things generally 

 happens either the walls of the capsule burst 

 when the spores are ripe and ready to escape, 

 or the capsule itself falls to the ground and its 

 walls decay, thus eventually freeing the spores. 

 Plate III. figs. 24 and 25 show the tiny round 

 capsule, surrounded by the lance-shaped leaves 

 of the diminutive Pointed Earth-moss (Phascum 

 cuspidatum). This capsule is devoid of a lid. 

 When ripe it turns a beautiful warm brown, and 

 is then readily detached from the stem, and its 

 walls, being very thin and fragile, easily rupture 



