82 MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS 



by which we have, so far, advanced, and thus to 

 give a concise view of the story of moss-develop- 

 ment. And such a survey will, I think, be 

 rendered all the more interesting if we confine 

 ourselves to one species of moss. There is none 

 that will better answer this purpose than the 

 Purple Eork-moss (Ceratodon purpureus), which, 

 as before mentioned, is one of the most familiar 

 figures of the tribe. There will practically never 

 be any difficulty in meeting with it in nature, for 

 on almost any roadside bank or expanse of waste 

 ground in the country it is almost certain to have 

 taken up its abode ; though, naturally, if we wish 

 to see it in some particular condition, the appro- 

 priate season must be chosen. 



Let us start with the bud-like flower (fig. 1) 

 which has sprung from the thread-like protonema, 

 which in its turn was developed from a spore ; 

 this may be sought in the late summer-time. It 

 will contain the curious sausage-shaped fertilising 

 organs (antheridia), some of which will probably 

 be ripe (fig. 2), while others will already have 

 discharged their contents (fig. 3). The fruit- 

 bearing organs (archegonia) are not so readily 

 discovered, as they are somewhat sparingly pro- 

 duced. However, a careful search among the 

 leaves of the plant under the dissecting-micro- 

 scope will generally prove successful, and an 

 examination of one, with a fairly high magnifying 

 power, will clearly show the passage down the 



