-6 3 - 



in late autumn to early spring. The beginner would best not try 

 to identify sterile specimens unless they have some striking char- 

 acter. If a perfect specimen cannot be identified, make careful 

 notes and send the specimen and notes to some one who has a 

 better knowledge of mosses. 



HE hair-cap mosses and the Pogonatums belong to the family 



Polytrichaceae, which in some respects is the most highly de- 



veloped of all the mosses. The stem has a central axis of spec- 

 ialized tissue that in structure and function shows a near approach 

 to the central fibro-vascular bundle of the ferns and their allies. 

 The most notable member of the family in point of size is the mag- 

 nificent Dawsonia of Australia, which reaches a height of 14 inches 

 and has leaves an inch or more in length. There are several 

 other genera belonging to this family, some of which are repre- 

 sented in North America, but the only other genus which our 

 readers are likely to meet with is Catharinea, which, in 1780, was 

 named by Erhart for the Empress Catharine II. of Russia, but 

 sixty-four years later Bruch and Schimper changed its name to 

 Atrichum*. If our readers are troubled by the recent changes of 

 plant names, this instance will show them the justice of restoring 

 names long in use but arbitrarily rejected by the caprice of a 

 prominent botanical writer. 



The Catharineas will be easily recognized by reference to 

 Figs. 1-3. They have the lamellate costa of the hair-caps and a 

 peristome of 32 teeth, similar in all respects. The calyptra, how- 

 ever, has become almost bald and shows mere traces of hairs in 

 the spine like projections near its apex (Fig. 3;. The wavy Cath- 

 arinea (C. undulata) is one of our most common and conspicuous 

 mosses, being abundant everywhere on moist, shady banks. The 

 novice will find it not always easy to distinguish the narrow-leaved 

 Catharinea (which is less frequent and the only other species 

 likely to be met with) from the wavy Catharinea. The wavy 

 Catharinea has the leaves rather acute, serrate to the base ; upper 

 leaf cells irregular and rounded; capsule more or less curved, fre- 

 quently several together. The narrow-leaved Catharinea is more 

 slender ; leaves more obtuse, less undulate, serrate in the upper 



*See Mrs. Britton's article in the Observer for May, 1894. 



THE CATHARINEAS. 



