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The Naturalist. 



distinct species. As far as I know, it was Bruch. " Flora/' 1825, p. 

 625, then Huebener " Muscol. Germ." (1833), p. 26, who extended 

 the conception joining with it both S. contortum and its variety rufescens 

 N. ab E. as varieties. 



Schimper's description of Sphagnum siibsecmidum, as well in the 

 " Monograph " as in the " Syn." ed. I., is based only upon the nn- 

 mixed species of Nees, although already in both works S. contortum is 

 thereto brought as var. /3. 



Only with 6^. auriciilatum, Sch. " Monogr." p. 77, and " Synopsis," 

 ed. I., p. 687, does Schimper particularly note the large stem-leaves 

 without mentioning that ^. contortum possesses quite similar stem- 

 leaves. 



For us rightly to understand this circumstance, Schimper must have 

 brought the varieties contortum and obesum to his S. auriculatum^ or he 

 would have been obliged to restore the old -5". contortum, Schultz., 

 and placed his S. auriculatum under it as a variety, which would 

 really have been nearer right. 



Although in the meanwhile Russow had clearly arranged the series 

 of forms of S. suhsecundum, we find nevertheless in the " Synop." ed. 

 II., (1876), the old description. 



(To he continued.) 



Whiskered Bat near Eipon, and Field-Moitsb at Masham. — Mr. James 

 Ingleby, of Eavestone, near Eipon, has just sent me a specimen, in the flesh, of 

 the whiskered bat {Vespertilio my sf acinus, Leisl.) He found it hanging from 

 the roof of a cavern near Eavestone, and informs me that he did not remember 

 seeing one of the kind before, although he has at various times taken numerous 

 specimens of other species in the cavern. This makes the third Yorkshire 

 example which has passed through my hands. Mr. Ingleby believes that the 

 smaller horse-shoe bat occurs in his locality, and it was while searching for 

 specimens of it to send me for identification, that he came across the specimen 

 now recorded. He was unsuccessful in finding the species he went for, and tells 

 me that it is the first time he has not found it on visiting the cavern. While on 

 the subject of mammalia I may say that I have also received from Mr. James 

 Carter a very fine specimen of the long-tailed field-mouse (^Mus sylvaticus), 

 which was trapped on the 16th February, in a house at Masham, being the 

 second specimen caught of this field species in the same room. The trap was 

 baited with oatmeal. I shall be glad to receive any specimens of small mammals 

 such as bats, mice, shrews, weasels, &c., that friends may send me for study or 

 identification. — Wm. Denison Koebuck, Sunny Bank, Leeds, Feb. 20th. 



