MOSSES. 63 



the vaginule, and contains the stalk-like body, which 

 is represented alone in fig. 32, the dark summit indi- 

 cating the commencing formation of the capsule. 

 Fig. 35 represents the young capsule, in which all the 

 parts are more advanced in growth. 



When the seeds of mosses germinate, they produce 

 at first a green Conferva-like filament, which branches 

 at one end, the cells containing green endochrome, 

 while brownish little roots are given off from the 

 other end. The young leafy buds or young stems 

 arise from these confervoid filaments. 



Examination. In the examination of the mosses, 

 the capsules should be viewed as opake objects while 

 fixed in the forceps; and to discover the minute 

 structure of the teeth of the peristome, a capsule 

 should be wetted with spirit, then immersed in water, 

 slit up with fine scissors, and spread out with the 

 mounted needles, so as to form a transparent object. 

 In this way, the curious structure of the teeth be- 

 comes very distinct. 



It must be noticed that, in the mosses, the anthe- 

 ridia and the archegonia usually occur in separate 

 flower-like heads ; or the mosses are either monoecious 

 or dioscious (p. 38). 



Preservation. The mosses may be dried under 

 pressure, and preserved entire in the same manner as 

 the ferns or the flowering plants. If simply dried 

 without pressure, their structure can be readily made 

 out at any future time, by immersing them in water, 

 or by keeping them for a few hours in a moist atmo- 

 sphere. The minute structures of mosses may be 

 mounted in solution of chloride of calcium, or in 

 glycerine ; they keep extremely well without closing 

 the cells. 



