466 Muscologia Itineris Assamici. 



tract of country, forming portion of the Eastern frontier of 

 British India. The extreme distance from Terya Ghat, at 



I should be exposed to the loss of so many undescribed species. And it 

 is well known that most botanists, even many who are considered 

 great, cannot put up with the loss of a single species, even though 

 their claims to its botanical authorship may be founded on any thing 

 but justice. The loss therefore to me would be insupportable. 



The publication of MSS. which I knew from the disadvantages at- 

 tendant on their preparation would contain an unusual number of mis- 

 takes, and which I know to do so, does not admit of such easy explana- 

 tion : it is however not very far from being in accordance with modern 

 practice. I myself would rather have reserved the MSS. until I could 

 have worked out to the best of my ability the very extensive materials 

 in Muscology now in my possession. Bat the daily increasing extent 

 of my Indian Herbarium, the duty I have to perform with regard to the 

 Affghan Collections, the probability of my residing for several years in 

 an unexplored and highly botanical country, all induce me to suspect 

 that any adjournment would become a postponement sine die. 



For those who take an interest in Indian Muscology, it may not be 

 amiss to add, that in vol xi. of Sir Win. J. Hooker's Journal of Botany, 

 the Mosses in the Herbarium distributed by Dr. Wallich, and those 

 collected by Dr. Royle, are enumerated ; the former by the Hon'ble 

 W. Harvey, the latter by Dr. Hooker, botanist to the Antarctic expedi- 

 tion. And of these, many I believe are figured in Hooker's Icones, 

 tab. XVII to XXIV. 



This paper, like most others, is written for the European Muscologist, 

 in as much as it gives only the means of determining the previously 

 undescribed species. 



This deficiency is shared by my paper. 



Those, who consider it indispensable to understand structure before 

 they venture to describe form, I would refer to the works of Hedwig, 

 to a paper by Mr. Robert Brown, in the 12th vol. of the Linnsean Trans- 

 actions, and to a paper by Mr. Valentine in the xvii. vol. of the same 

 excellent collection. Mr. Valentine's paper is accurate and original, and 

 with the exception perhaps of the physiological conclusions, worthy of 

 being studied. The article on Mosses in Dr. Lindley's Introduction to 

 Botany, 2nd Ed. is certainly inaccurate with regard to one of the most 

 peculiar points of structure, and presumptively so in all the points 

 regarding function. 



