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others; and forms another generic character. But the most 
interesting part of the capsule is the beautiful appendage, 
styled the peristome. It is a fringe of scarlet, pale yellow, 
purple, or intermediate shade. according to the genus to 
which the plant belongs. The peristome is divided into 8, 
16, 32, or 64 segments or teeth. These numbers never 
deviate, a certain number of teeth are invariably found 
in a certain genus, they are always regular in number, 
and thus we have agaia strong characters for distinguishing 
genera. 
In many of the Mosses the peristome is double, the inner 
one being much paler in colour than the outer, and in some 
few genera cilia may be found interposited with the teeth of 
the inner peristome. ‘These are all abiding characters, and 
with the forms and arrangement of the leaves and habits of 
the plants, arranged, illustrated, and generically described as 
they are in the key before us, will be found sufficient in most 
cases to identify the genus to which the plant belongs. 
May we be allowed to enter a plea for the Mosses of 
Tasmania which we so ruthlessly uproot from our garden 
walks and trample down by the road side; their forms are 
exquisite, their habits are in the charming corners and glades, 
as well as on the face of the mountain crag, their study is 
pure and refining, and there remains an insight to the student 
of contrivance, system, wisdom, Infinite Wisdom, and a source 
of infinite admiration. 
NEW SPECIES OF TASMANIAN MARINE SHELLS, 
By W. F. Perrerp. 
[Read May 12, 1885.] 
1. PECTEN AKTINOS, n. sp. 
Shell of moderate thickness, irregularly, elongately, and 
somewhat obliquely orbicular, depressed, marked with ir- 
recular prominent lines of growth, ornamented with 
numerous—fourteen to eighteen—radiating perceptibly im- 
bricated riblets, which are alternatley large and small, 
and again covered with smaller lire; cellular structure, | 
distinctly visible under the lens, towards the base; 
ears unequal, moderately prominent; colour, pink to bright 
rose, with irregular light or dark bands, and again peculiarly 
marked with numerous small sharply angular patches of white 
to pink, shaded with deep brownish-red; interior, shining 
