THE BRYOLOGIST, 



A DEPARTMENT OF THE FERN BULLETIN, 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF NORTH AMERICAN MOSSES. 

 ISSUED QUARTERLY. 

 EDITED BY DR. A. J. GROUT, PLYMOUTH, N. H., 

 To whom all correspondence regarding the mosses should be addressed. 



This department is issued separately at twenty-five cents a year. Sub- 

 scriptions should be addressed to the Fern Bulletin, Binghamton, N. Y. 



Vol. U. April, 1899. No. 2. 



All correspondence intended for the editor should be ad- 

 dressed to 175 Halsey Street, Brooklyn, N. Y., until July 1st, '99. 



The editor takes pleasure in announcing that the promised 

 illustrated glossary of bryological terms will be begun in the July 

 number of the Bryologist. Mr. H. N. Dixon and his publisher 

 have very kindly permitted us the use of the drawings in the first 

 five plates of Dixon and Jameson's Handbook of the British 

 Mosses. The editor considers this book to be the best moss 

 manual in the English language, and as it includes a majority of 

 our mosses of Northeastern America it is almost indispensible to 

 the student who wishes to know our mosses well. 



PREPARATION OF MOSSES FOR EXAMINATION WITH 

 THE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE. 



OST of us who have studied mosses for some time have 



come to use by imitation or discovery, some methods of 



manipulation which may be useful to others. The editor 

 would be glad to have others send notes on this subject in addi- 

 tion to what he presents here. 



If the moss be fresh and moist it is all ready for operations. 

 Dried specimens should be softened by boiling. The parts to be 

 studied can be boiled in water on a slide by holding it over a lamp, 

 but it is much better to boil the whole plant. An alcohol lamp 

 and tin cup can be used, or if convenient, boiling water can be 

 poured into a cup and the plant placed in this. This also will 

 serve to drive out the air-bubbles that will cling if cold water be 

 used. 



