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liuh-\' cap, the ruli/iitra. In tl^e right-hand portion the 

 cal\ptra has been removed, disclosing a little |)od, vari- 

 ously si)okt'n of as the theca, or uni, or c<ij>sitle, or 

 sj>i)r(t)ii/nnn. Fig. .'WG is an enlarged view. This caj)- 

 sule is clost'd at the top by a circular lid, the opi'viulitm , 

 wliich falls away when the capsule is mature, llius allow- 

 ing the escape of the spores, •which are produced in it. 

 The spores are developed upon the surface of a central 

 I'oluuin which ri.ses from the bottom of the capsule, and 

 v.liich is known as the coluvirlla. The oi>ening through 

 wiiicli tiie spores escajMj is called the stoma, and a good 

 lens reveals the fact that around the stoma there is a circle 

 (sometimes two) of minute teeth, known collectively as 

 the pnristovia. In the Moss now before us the peristome 

 consists of sixty-four teeth. In other Mosses the number 

 varies, being always, however, some power of 2 ; either 

 1, or 8, or IG, or o2, or 64. Occasionally the teeth are 

 altogether absent. 

 We shall now consider the mode of reproduction in the Mosses. 

 Let us commence with the spore. Tliis, ujion meeting 

 with proper conditions, bursts its outer coat (the exo- 

 sj)ore), and the inner coat (the eiulosjti/rc) is then pro- 

 truded as a slender tube. This continues to grow by 

 ret)eated divisions, vxntil at length, in most cases, a 

 tangled thread-like mass of vegetation is produced, to 

 which the name jn'ofonrvia has been given. After the 

 lapse of several days minute buds are developed at differ- 

 ent points ui)on the proionema, and these are found to 

 consist of whorls of scaly leaves. This is the beginning 

 of the development of the ordinary Moss-plant. Upon 

 the iilants thus arising from the buds are develojied 

 antheridia and archegonia, the former in the axils of the 

 leaves forming the rosettes shown in Fig. 305, and the 

 latter at ,the apex of other stems, as shown in Fig. 304. 

 The antheridia are seen under the microscope to be club- 

 shaped bodies, containing a mass of cells in which the 

 antherozoids are formed. Fig. 307 shows an antheri- 

 dium (.4) with escaping antherozoids a. At (B) is seen 

 a si>erm-cell with contained antherozoid. At c is the 

 antherozoid set free. The archegonia are tlask-shajted 

 Ijodies, with a lower expanded portion and along neck 

 above. Fig. 308 shows the o.\>ex of a fertile stem with 

 several archegoniain the centre, and Fig. 309 shows a 

 single archegonium very highly magnified. The anther- 

 ozoids upon being set free make their way down the necks 

 of the archegonia, and unite their substance with that of 

 si)ecial cells in the lower end (one in each archegonium). 

 These cells, as a con.se«iuence of being thus fertilize<l. 

 become surrounded by a thin coat and immediately begin 



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