Moss Parasites. 



11 



the name of valvular aestivation. When immersed in water no 

 change took place in their position, and the teeth seemed per- 

 manently glued together. This, of course, excited attention, 

 and on opening one of the capsules it appeared that the mass 

 of spores was infested by a little pink Fusisporium, whose slightly 

 gelatinous spores had been the means of closing the orifice 

 of the capsules, and preventing the dispersion of the spores. 

 I did not indeed always find the mould within the capsule, its 

 proper season being probably over, but on washing the surface 

 of the united teeth, I was always able to obtain a quantity of 

 the spores of the fungus, which from their peculiar form were 

 not likely to be mistaken. 



It is very possible that this little parasite may be extremely 

 common, but I believe that it has not been observed before, 

 and its discovery affords one among 

 the many proofs that, even in the 

 most unpromising situations, there 

 is always some novelty to be found 

 or some interesting fact to be ascer- 

 tained if there is an eye to mark it. 



The characters of the little para- 

 site are not striking, and its specific 

 distinction must rest partly on 

 its peculiar habits, for the spores 

 scarcely differ from those of one or Fl&< ^-Fusisporium inoarcemns, 

 two other species. Its characters Berk, 



such as they are may be given as Spores, highly magnified, 

 follows : — 



Fusisporium incarcerans, Berk, pallide roseum intra sporan- 

 gium muscorum vel in peristomio nidulans, sporis arcuatis 

 tenuibus triseptatis. 



The spores are about 1-41 6th of an inch long, but, as is very 

 often the case with fungi, are by no means uniform in size. 



