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CAMPYLOPUS BREYIFOLIUS, Sch. 

 a SUBULATUS, ^JJJSD. 



By H. Boswell. 



In the hope of finding something further about the Bryum gemraiparum 

 lately alluded to, and perhaps of falling in -with it in some other 

 stream, Mr. Ley and I have lately visited Breconshire, and explored 

 a good deal of it together, but without success. We found the Bryum 

 only near the original spot where it was first met with by Mr. 

 Ley, in May, nor did we obtain anything else of much interest, 

 though we explored a good many miles, till our last day, when we 

 fell in with a moss by the side of the Wye, which is remarkable in 

 more points than one. 



At first glance it rather reminded one of Campylopus fmgilis, yet 

 was different from any form I had seen of that moss, which varies a 

 good deal. Arrived at home, I soon, with the aid of the microscope, 

 found it to be identical with the C. hrevifolius, of Schimper's Bryol. 

 Europ. Suppl. — which also appears to be identical with C. subulatus 

 of the same author, and either name fits the plant well enough, though 

 the latter will claim priority of date. 



Its much shorter pointed leaves and narrower cells at once dis- 

 tinguish it from C. fragilis, and bring it nearer to G, Schimperi, but 

 that has a cluster of diaphanous vesicular cells near the base of the 

 leaf on each side, absent in hrevifolius. 



But though agreeing very well in the leaf structure, there was one 

 great difference apparent. C. hrevifolius is described by Schimper, 

 and by Dr. Braithwaite, in the sixth part, lately issued, of his 

 " British Moss Flora," as a dwarfish species, and with this account 

 specimens from Forfarshire, Italy, and Germany entirely agree. 

 Grown on dry granitic or basaltic rocks, they present a very starved 

 appearance, and are barely half-an-inch in height ; the Wye plants, 

 on the contrary, have grown freely, and make much handsomer 

 specimens when dried — their aspect being so different, that I could 

 hardly persuade one or two of my friends to accept the determination. 

 In fact, though the leaves present no tangible character, this aspect 

 of the moss is so different from that of the forms hitherto known, 

 that it may be well to mark it as a variety, characterised thus : — 



C. hrevifolius, Schpr. 



C. stihdatus, ejusd., Braithw, 

 var. elougatus. 



