4 THE SPHAGNACEZ OR PEAT-MOSSES OF 
Russow, in 1865, gave us his Beztriige zur Kenntniss der 
Torfmoose, containing some excellent observations on their histo- 
logy, and notes on the various species and varieties, which display 
an intimate practical acquaintance with these plants. He insists 
on the inconstancy of the monoicous or dioicous character of the 
inflorescence, and hence reduces the number of species. 
ScHLIEPHACKE, in Verhandl. Zool. Bot. Gesells. Wien, vol. xv. 
p- 383 (1865), has also a good paper on the subject, Bectrdge zur 
Kenntniss der Sphagna, with clear and valuable notes on distinc- 
tion of species, and their variations. 
M. Pirg, in Bull. de la Soc. royale de Bot. de Belgique, t. vi. 
n. 3 (1868), gives a short paper, Les Sphaignes de la Flore de 
Belgique, in which the result of his investigation of the Belgian 
species is recorded, accompanied by a very beautiful plate illus- 
trating the structure of their leaves. 
K.incerarrF has an article on the Prussian species, in Schriften 
der Kin. Phystkalisch-Gekon. Gesells. zu Kinigsberg, vol. xiii. p. 1 
(1872), in which several generally accepted varieties are raised 
to the rank of species, as he acts on the opposite view to 
that advocated by Russow, and insists on the stability of the 
characters founded on the monoicous or dioicous position of the 
inflorescence. 
M. E. Rozg, in Bull. de la Soc. Botan. de France, xix. p. 91 
(1872), gives an elaborate paper, De la Fécondation chez les Crypto- 
games supérieures, et en particulier chez les Sphaignes, in which 
he dissents from the opinion of Hofmeister that the canal in the 
neck of the archegonium is formed by dissolution of the central 
string of cells, and states that it pre-exists as a cavity in common 
with that of the body of the archegonium. Further observations 
are also given, detailing the actual mode of contact between the 
antherozoids and the germinative cell of the archegone. 
Deévrtex, in Verhandl. der k. k. Zool. Bot. Gesells. Wien, 
vol. xxvi. p. 601 (1876), has an article, Die dchmischen Sphagna 
und thre Gesellschafter, giving a list of the species, but principally 
interesting in enumerating all the mosses and Hepatice which are 
found growing associated with the Sphagua. 
The above named are all the more important works or papers 
bearing on the subject, but numerous other articles or descriptions 
of species find a place in general works on mosses, or in the 
periodical literature of the day ; these will be found quoted in the 
