— 34 — 



recrossed, and a dirt road running north at the base of Elk Ridge, in the State 

 of Maryland, was followed. Between the muddy road and the river was the 

 canal, and at the right of the road the rocks and hillside rose abruptly. Not 

 far from the quaint old bridge was a little old unpainted building labeled "Mu- 

 seum of War Relics," containing mementoes of the war of 1861, but not open 

 during the winter. A short distance from the museum the hillside became less 

 abrupt and small trees and bushes scantily covered it. A few of the more com- 

 mon mosses had been gathered but none had been noted that seemed to be new 

 to me. 



It was along this part of the hillside, seventy-five feet above the road, that 

 a patch of yellow-green color was seen on a nearly perpendicular rock. A short 

 stiff scramble enabled me to examine with a hand-lens some of the yellow-green 

 material and it was seen to consist of small plants with blunt-ended leaves that 

 had a heavy costa, long excurrent and sharply pointed. The Tortulaceae seemed 

 to be the most likely family and considerable of this material was carefully 

 scraped from the rock, placed in packages and carefully stored in inside pockets, 

 as being choice and interesting. Another moss about the same size but without 

 the excurrent costa, was also found abundantly in this same yellow-green patch. 

 It was not fruited but appeared to be an Orthotrichum. 



Farther along on slate-like, dry, ledgy rocks a very small gray plant was 

 found, too soft for a lichen, and this proved to be Fahronia octohlepharis (Schleich.) 

 Schwaegr. and fairly well fruited. 



After returning to New York the first-mentioned material was studied 

 jointly by Miss Daisy J. Levy and myself, and we decided the plant to be Tor- 

 tilla pagorum (Milde) DeNot.' No fruit was seen. To verify this determina- 

 tion a package was sent to Mr. E. B. Chamberlain, but while he favored our 

 determination he suggested sending a specimen to a bryologist who had col- 

 lected this interesting moss in its type station, Meran, South Tyrol, where also 

 Fahronia octohlepharis is abundant. Consequently a package was sent to Mr. 

 W. E. Nicholson, and in due time his reply stated that while our material varied 

 in some unimportant details he considered our plant correctly named. 



In July, 19 19, Miss Daisy Levy spent a week collecting in the vicinity of 

 Harpers Ferry and found that farther north along the river road at the base 

 of Elk Ridge many trees and ledges carried growths of the Tortula as well as 

 the Fahronia. 



Tortula pagorum has been collected once before in the United Stales by 

 Dr. J. K. Small, on elm trees at Atlanta, Ga.'^ 



2929 Broadway, New York City. 



1 Grout, A. J. Tortula pagorum (Milde) DeNot. in Georgia. Bryologist 7: 65. PI. 8, 

 figs. 3. 4. 5- 1904. 



Nicholson, Wm. E. Tortula pagorum (Milde) DeNot. Bryologist 8: 70.1905. (Refers 

 to Grout's article, cited above.) 



