54 



The Naturalist. 



In the report of a meeting of the Manchester Cryptogamic Society 

 in the Naturalist for October, 1879, it is stated that CEdipodium 

 Grijffithianum is confined to Britain. Schimper gives the following 

 Continental localities : — Prope Ulvig in Osedalen provinc. Bergen 

 Norvegice, in Alp. Setensfjeld provinc. Romsdalen, in Jotunfjeldena ad 

 Sogue, in Laxfjalla Lapponice umensis. 



Timmia megapolitam is reported as occurring on Ben Lawers in 

 Mr, Hobkirk's Synopsis ; it also finds a place in the London 

 Catalogue of British Mosses. Does this species occur in Britain ? 

 I gathered a Timmia on Ben Lawers last August, which 1 find named 

 T. norvegica ; but on referring to the catalogue and to Mr. Hobkirk's 

 Synopsis, I thought that my plant must be T. megopolitana, as that 

 species was recorded as British, and there was no mention of T. 

 norvegica. I therefore sent some to the Rev. J. Fergusson, and 

 others, as T. megapolitana. Mr. Fergusson at once replied that my 

 plants were T. norvegica, and that T. megapolitana was not known to 

 occur on Ben Lawers. Schimper also states that the Ben Lawers 

 plant is T. norvegica, and happily summarises the differences between 

 the species. 



I also brought specimens of Hypnum ocliraceum from an altitude of 

 3000 feet on Ben Nevis, sixteen inches in length, and I have no 

 doubt that I could find longer specimens if I had picked them. 

 Schimper says, " semipedales nempe, reperimtiir^'' I collected the var. 

 fiaccidum, Milde, at Marsden last January, ten inches in length. 



At an altitude of over 3000 feet on Ben Lawers I found a yellow- 

 green form of Hypnum sarmentosum, which puzzled me very much. 

 Mr. Fergusson says it is often found within the Arctic Circle, 

 being far from common in this country. 



The leaves of Grimmia to7'qmta are described by Schimper as 



margine recto " ; I find them to have the margins somewhat 

 recurved. Berkeley says " slightly reflexed." 



BracJiythecium albicans generally has the margin of the leaves 

 recurved. This is not mentioned in any of the books I have seen. 



Hypnum virescens, Boulay, is said by M. Renauld to prefer clear 

 cold streams containing in solution carbonate of lime ; this is pre- 

 cisely the habitat in which I found this plant at Malham last year, 

 but M. Renauld gives several Continental localities, with their 

 altitudes, the lowest of which is at le pied de Gabizos " at 1200 

 metres. The Malham altitude is only 230 metres. 



