72 



THE NATURALIST. 



Blechnum horeale ; near Llandderfel. 



Littorella laciistris ; Llyn Creyny. 



Lycopodium alpinum ; Berwyns between 

 Llandderfel and Pont-y Beddws. 



L. clavatum ; Berwyns between Llandder- 

 fel and Pont-y-Beddws. 



L. selago ; on ilie Berwyns near tbe Grouse 

 House and by the side of a bog at tlie 

 south end of Earl's Wood near Lland- 

 derfel.— James Irvine, Chelsea. 



Notes on Br>iTisH Mosses. 



No. in. . 



By C. p. Hobkiek. 



Fissidens hryoides. Hedw. 



This Moss is very closely allied to the 

 one treated of in my last paper, (vol 1, p. 

 221) Schistostega osmundacea. It is rather 

 larger, being from two lines to half an inch 

 in height, and is much more generally dis- 

 tributed. It occurs in several places in 

 this neighbourhood ; my best specimens 

 being from near Fixby, grooving on the wet 

 banks of a small stream in one of the 

 woods there. It is in fruit in early spring, 

 about February and March in this neigh- 

 bourhood. The gtnus is very aptly named 

 from two latin words fissus, split, and dens 

 a tooth. All the species have esespitose or 

 tufted stems, much resembling a frond in 

 miniature, with leaves arranged on a flat 

 plane on two sides of the stem, inserted al- 

 ternately ; they are semi-amplexicaul, and 

 from the base of each leaf a thin lamina 

 affixed to the back of the midrib, runs up- 

 wards about half the length of the leaf, 

 and partially clasps the stem. In this 

 species a moderately thick nerve extends 

 the whole length of the leaf, which is also 

 bordered with a thickened margin. The 

 areolae or cells are rather large, irregularly 

 hexagonal in shape, and closely filled with 

 chlorophyll, causing the leaf to have a full 

 green colour, and to be somewhat shining, the 

 inflorescence in this species is monoicous, 

 the fruit-stalk rising from near the summit 



of the stem, of a reddish colour and about 

 half-an-inch in length, ci'OAvned by the 

 erect elliptical capsule, the lid of which is 

 conical-acuminate. The calyptra is conico- 

 mitriform, and rather longer than the lid. 

 The peristome is single, of sixteen equidis- 

 tant teeth, of about one-third the length 

 of the capsule. Each tooth is cleft about 

 half way down or more into two unequal 

 segments, geniculate or bent inwards, of a 

 deep red colour, and transversely barred. 

 The barren flowers are gemmiform, axillarj?-, 

 never terminal and rather numerous. The 

 teeth which are very similar to those of 

 Di' ranum, are easily distinguished by the 

 sudden inflexion near the middle, and in 

 being more hygroscopic. This moss is 

 from its minuteness very liable to be over- 

 looked, though if noticed can scarcely be 

 confounded with any other, except per- 

 haps F. mridulus from which it is easily 

 distinguished by its barren axillary flowers, 

 and broader dorsal wing, Accordins to 

 to Smith's Eng. Bot. v. 40, this is the 

 moss which engaged Mungo Park's attention 

 so much in Africa, as to revive his drooping 

 spirits when sinking under fatigue, as cer-.. 

 tified by original specimens in possession 

 of his brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson. 

 Synonyms : — 



F. hryoides. Hedw., St. Crypt, iii. t. 29. 

 Eblding. Roth. Bridel. Funck. Bs. Sch. 

 monog : p. 8. t. 2. 



Ducranum hryoides. Sm. Eng. Bbt. t. 

 625. Turner; Hook : and Taylor, (in part.) 



Fissidens exilis. Schwoegr. (in part.) ;J 



C. pudihunda and B. hirtaria. I have 

 larvce of these species in duplicate, which 

 I shall be glad to exchange for eggs, larvce, 

 pupoe, or good Imagos of other species. 

 Gentlemen not hearing from me in ten 

 days to conclude that I am already sup- 

 plied with what they off'er. — "W. Marline, 

 Wool-street, Mill-street, Bank, Leeds, 



