57 
numbered, On the 22d of February, when its picture was taken, 
: found 
together, have turned black ; the bank fell bit by bit as the frost 
came out of the ground, and the wheels of the carts are grind- 
ing it and the mosses back into dust, as the roads dry up. 
the spores have fallen on the new ii they will germinate in 
the April rains, and, by July or August these same banks wi 
ain be covered by a bright green ee cloth of delicate 
oe te chains of threads, with here and there little rosettes 
Fic, 13. 
of antheridia and archegonia; by September the young hairy 
caps will be pushing up in their midst. This moss is one of the 
best that can be chosen to illustrate the life-history of a species, 
as the protonema is so conspicuous and persistent. The spore- 
cases too are interesting, as the walls are thick and hard, cov- 
ered with warts, and sealed by a tightly-fitted lid. Beneath the 
lid is a flat drum-head membrane into which the tips of the 32 
teeth are dove-tailed in such a manner as to leave narrow slits 
for the spores to escape. Over all is the cap, covered by a fe 
of hairs, which give to it the name of oe Its stems are 
very short with a few leaves around the base of the stalk, on 
which the spore-case is borne, as Ria in Fig. 13. 
EvizaBetH G. Britton. 
