290 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



ISTo. 346. — This plant differs from Yerrucaria thus far : it is destitute 

 of outer carbonaceous covering to the apothecium. Nylander, 

 however, in his definition of the genus, happily discards both 

 the black outer covering, and also Mr. Leighton's tunics, or 

 separate coverings. The covering membrane here is pale 

 brown; and, as a transparent object on the table of the mi- 

 croscope, livid or dull purple ; spores 8 in asci, muriform, 

 round at the ends, measuring *001" by -0006"; with iodine 

 yellow, becoming wine-red. 



The President congratulated the Society on acquiring this important 

 supplement to Admiral Jones' previous donation, so much enhanced by 

 his original remarks on the species. 



Dr. Moore desired to indorse the remarks made by the President 

 as to the great value of the gift presented by Admiral Jones, and more 

 especially to students in this department of Cryptogamic Botany ; to 

 them there was nothing like the specimens themselves, carefully 

 authenticated, and verified as far as possible by so accomplished an 

 observer as Admiral Jones, superseding even the best executed plates. 



The following paper was afterwards read : — 



On some Mosses new to the British Flora, and some to the Irish 

 Flora ; with a Notice oe the re-discovert of Eeotinea intacta 

 (Beichenbach), in the County of G-alway. By David Moore, 

 Ph. D., F. L. S., M. B. I. A. 



The closing meeting of the present Session affords me the opportu- 

 nity of recording some progress in the department of Cryptogamic 

 Botany, to which I more especially devote attention — namely, Mus- 

 cology. 



To notice the addition of a Moss to our Flora may seem to many a 

 very trivial affair, especially to those who have not studied the sub- 

 ject, and may think there are many such minute objects to be found, 

 in. these islands, if only looked for. But to those who have made Mus- 

 cology a study, the discovery of an additional species to the British 

 Flora is looked on as a matter fraught with considerable interest. In 

 our times, when the microscope has been so much improved, and so 

 many acute observers in the field, the different departments of Crypto- 

 gamic Botany are as thoroughly investigated as are those of the higher 

 orders of plants, if not more so ; and it is almost as rare an occur- 

 rence the discovery of a new plant in the former departments as in the 

 latter. In a climatical and geographical point of view both Mosses 

 and Lichens are possessed of considerable interest. They are not the 

 ubiquitous plants casual observers suppose them to be, but in many 

 cases the reverse, and exceedingly local in their geographical distribu- 

 tion. The occurrence of some species which grow in the southern coun- 



