SCIENCE- G OSS JP. 



101 



The next family, Fissidejh \<-i: w.. is | Iv 



represented by Fissidens viridulus Wahl. and /■'. 

 taxifolint Hedw. from The Tors,a somewhat doubt- 

 t'ul specimen of F. bryoides Hedw. from [lkerton 

 Lane, and /•'. decipiens de Not, found while assist- 

 in- nt the taking of the photograph of " The Nesi 

 and Xoung of the Water Ouzel," illustrated in the 

 June ii ui ni mi- nt' Science-Gossip (vol, \ii.. N.S., 

 p. :'.). in tin' East Lyn Valley. 



Among the Gkimmiaceae, Grimmia apocarpa 

 Hedw. is generally common, ami O. pulvinata Sm. 

 though widely distributed, is oo1 so common as its 

 congener. Ilhuroinitriwm aciculare Brid. is to be 

 found sparingly in the valleys of the East and 

 West Lyns, on stones. Jl. fasciculate Brid. is at 

 Watersmeet, and also at Exmoor. on stones. Jl. 

 Iveterosticltwnx Brid. was found at Saddle Gate, and 

 in the East and West Lyn Valleys ; M. canescens 

 Brid. on the heath near Saddle Gate ; and II. lanu- 

 iji hosh hi Brid. in a similar situation at Pinkery 

 Pond and Desolation. Pi ijclioni'ilriuiii polyphyUwn 

 Furnr. is generally common on rocks and walls 

 throughout the district. 



The Tortttlaceae are- one of the most difficult 

 families to beginners. This, perhaps, explains why 

 it appears to be so poorly represented ; but no 

 doubt further experience will largely increase the 

 list. At present all that have been noticed are : — 

 Tori in 'n in a nil in Hedw.. generally common. T- 

 mbulata Hedw. at Countisbury. Barbula fallax 

 Hedw. commonly in the district, and its variety 

 brevifolia Schultz, on the Esplanade at Lynmouth. 

 B. cylindrica Schp. in the West Lyn Valley, and 

 its sub-species vinelais Brid. freely in the Waters- 

 meet Road. B. revoluta Brid. occurred once at 

 Watersmeet, and B. convolvta Hedw. at Countis- 

 bury. B. wnguiculata Hedw. is generally common. 

 Weisia microstoma CM. occurred on The Tors, 

 with one specimen of the rare IF. crispata, and the 

 varieties amblyodon B. and S. and densifolia B. and 

 S. of TF. viridula Hedw., the type of which was 

 common everywhere in our district. Trichostomiim 

 ci ispulum Bruch. was found on Capstone Hill, 

 Ilfracombe, which is perhaps somewhat out of the 

 Lynmouth district. T. mutabile Bruch. and its 

 variety litorale Dixon are to be found in the 

 valley of the West Lyn. Cinclidottcs fontinaloides 

 P.B. common on stones near the river bed. in the 

 East Lyn Valley, finishes this scanty list of Tortu- 

 laceae. 



Encalypta streptoearpa Hedw.. found very 

 sparingly in the East Lyn Valley, is the sole repre- 

 sentative of the ENCALYPTACEAE. 



Of the next family, the ORTHOTRICHACEAE, 

 Zyyodon viridissimus R. Br. occurs on walls in the 

 Bast Lyn Valley ; whilst its congener, or sub- 

 species, tttiiio/ii Schp., I have only found at Lee 

 Bay, where also was the curious little gemma- 

 bearing JJlota phyllantha Brid. on a tree-trunk. 



The SCHISTOSXEGACEAE and SPLACHNACEAE 



are, so far, unrepresented. 



Funaria hygrometrica Sibth., common every- 

 where, Is the only species yel noticed of the 



FUNAR] V.CEAE. 



The Meesiaceae has only gi en - lulacomniiim 

 palustre Schwgr., which is abundant on Exmi 

 where it is found mixed in dense patches of / 

 iridium strictwm and Spliagnwn. 



The one genus that constitutes the Timmiaceae 

 we have not round hi 



The BARTRAMIACEAE have only given as two 

 representatives, viz. Bartra/mia pomiformis Hedw.. 

 the lovely •• a] i] ile mo--." from Desolation, Summer 

 House Hill, Ilkerton Lane, and Lee Lay: and 

 PJdlonotis fontana Brid., found commonly in 

 locality near Pinkery Pond, where it was fruiting 



freely. 



Of the fifty-one species and sub-species that con- 

 stitute the large and important family BRTACEA B, 

 the last of the eighteen families of the Acrocarpous 

 mosses, only fourteen have here, as yet, come under 

 my notice. These axe Weber a nutans Hedw., from 

 the North Walk, Ilkerton, and Exmoor, where it 

 is abundant in the peat cuttings : W. annotina 

 Schwgr. from the wall at Saddle Gate ; W. albicans 

 Schp. from a spring in the East Lyn Valley. Rock 

 Lodge, Lynton, and Lee Bay ; and TL. cornea Schp.. 

 a doubtful specimen, not in fruit, from Lee Bay. 

 Bri/iim Inrliiijit urn Blaud was frequent at Countis- 

 bury, B. caespiticiiim L. at Countisbury. Waters- 

 meet Road, etc., B. capillare L. generally common, 

 and its variety flaccidum B. and E. on Countisbury 

 Hill. B.obconicum Hornsch. and B. mwaleWils. 

 on walls, especially in the East Lyn Valley. B. 

 atropurpureum W. and M. on The Tors, and a 

 solitary specimen, apparently of B.pallensS.'W., 

 occurred at Lee Bay. Mniiint hornwm L. generally 

 common throughout the district in every kind of 

 locality, but it is especially well grown in the W si 

 Lyn Valley. M.pvmctatum is found in the same 

 places. 



The group of families that constitute the Pleuro- 

 carpous mosses contains so many of the larger and 

 more noticeable mosses that it is naturally bet un- 

 represented in a preliminary list like this than 

 those species in the other division. There are 

 seven of these families, mostly small in number, 

 the first six only containing forty-one species. 



Of the first two, the FONTINALACEAE and 

 CRYPHAEACEAE, no representative has as yet been 

 noticed. 



Of the Xeckeraceae. Neckera crispa Hedw. is 

 found at Watersmeet, X. complanata Hubn. at 

 Brendon on tree-trunks, and Homalia triclw- 

 manoides Brid. on a wet bank at Lee Bay. 



None of the three s] ecies comprised in the 

 Hookeriaceae have been noticed, and Porotrichum 

 alopecia-urn Mitt., near Rockford and in the West 

 Lyn Valley, is the only one that has occurred of 

 the small family of the LEUCODONTACEAE. 



Of the Leske vk \e. Anomodon viticulosus H. and 

 T. occurs on the bridle-path, Lynmouth. and a 



