ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 657 



found especially in the longitudinal walls of the cells ; in many- 

 species of Bicranum and Hypnum they occur also in the lamina. 



Paraphyses of Mosses.* — Herr F. Kienitz-Gerloff confirms the 

 hypothesis of Leitgeb f that the structure of the female receptacle in 

 Corsinia is specially adapted for keeping the archegonia moist until 

 impregnation by the antherozoids has taken place ; and points out 

 that in a largo number of mosses the same function is performed by 

 the paraphyses, especially in those dioecious species growing in very 

 dry situations, in which the male and female tufts are often widely 

 separated, such as Polystichum piliferum. This view is confirmed by 

 the fact that paraphyses are often nearly or entirely wanting in those 

 species which grow in water or in very moist situations, like Fonti- 

 nalis and Sphagnum. 



Hair-like Filaments on Moss-stems.} — Mr. W. Archer draws 

 attention to some reddish, arborescent filaments on the stem of Aula- 

 comnion palustre, resembling an algal parasite, but which he finds to 

 be outgrowths from the stem. They give off numerous branches, 

 which become interlaced and involve the leaves of the moss. He 

 suggests that this may be a " kind of secondai-y Protonema," which, 

 if detached, might give rise to a new moss plant. 



New Genus of Mosses. § — Herr K. G. Limpricht classifies the 

 cleistocarpous mosses of Germany under seveu genera, viz. : — 1. 

 Nanomitrium {Ephemerum tenerum Bruch). 2. Ephemerum. 3. 

 Ephemerella. 4. Physcomitrella. 5. Acaulon. 6. Phascum. 7. 

 Mildeella n. gen., with the following characters: — 



Vegetative characters agreeing with those of Euphascum, monoe- 

 cious ; the true male shoots often two or three placed behind one 

 another on the same pseudaxis. Seta reddish yellow with central 

 cord, usually shorter than the perigone ; foot somewhat swollen ; 

 vagina ovate. Capsule thick-walled, with distinct neck and persistent 

 straight or oblique conical operculum ; wall of two layers ; cells of 

 the exothecium thick-walled, with a few rows of smaller roundish 

 hexagonal cells in the annular zone, but without the characters of 

 annular cells ; cells of operculum elongated, ascending slightly to the 

 left ; stomata few, only in the neck-portion ; tissue of neck loose, 

 with clearly defined axis ; air -cavity without threads. Peristome 

 distinctly developed, composed of sixteen filiform papillose yellow 

 teeth, each of two layers ; often only fragmentary in the upper part, 

 laterally coalescent at the base. Calyptra cap-shaped. Its nearest 

 affinity is with Barbula. 



Hepaticae of the Amazon and Andes. || — In this magnificent work 

 Dr. E. Spruce describes 577 species of Equatorial American Hepatica), 



* Bot. Ztg., xliv. (1886) pp. 248-51. 



f See this Journal, v. (1885) p. 1035. 



% Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist,, xvii. (1886) p. 163. 



§ Rabenhorst's ' Krypt.-Flora v. Deutschland,' Bd. iv., Die Laubmoose v. K. G. 

 Limpricht, Lief. 3, Leipzig, 1886 (2 figs). Cf. this Journal, ante, p. 108. 



|| Spruce, R, 'Hepaticse Amazonica? et Andinee,' 588 pp. and 22 pis. 

 London, 1884-5. See Joum. of Bot., xxiv. (1886) p. 122. 



Ser. 2.— Vol. VI. 2 X 



