68 MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS 



other it effects the growth of the fruit-vessel, con- 

 taining the minute round bodies which ultimately 

 develop into the ripened spores. 



The Peristome. But to resume our story. So 

 careful is Nature in the matter of the sowing 

 of the spores, that she generally takes special 

 precautions to ensure their due dispersal. In 

 most mosses the fall of the lid discloses round 

 the mouth of the capsule a fringe of the most 

 exquisitely delicate teeth, known as the peristome, 

 a name derived from two Greek words, meaning 

 "around the mouth." No words of mine would 

 suffice to give any adequate idea of the extreme 

 beauty of this marvellous structure, which forms 

 by far the most fascinating part of a moss ; to 

 be appreciated it must be seen, and to see it in 

 full perfection a microscope is essential, for it 

 is only when considerably magnified that its 

 wondrous organisation, and its extraordinary 

 delicacy can be even faintly realised. It is 

 doubtless owing to this very fact that the peri- 

 stome of a moss is one of the stock objects for 

 microscopical examination, recommended in ele- 

 mentary books on the instrument. At the same 

 time, a very fair idea may be obtained of the 

 nature of this beautiful organism, by the help 

 of nothing more pretentious than a good, strong 

 magnifying- glass, more especially if we know 

 beforehand something about its form and struc- 

 ture, and can consequently be on the look-out for 



