THE GENEllA OF MOSSES. 
1S9 
and Switzerland, A, nivalis, the largest, and, A. alpina ex- 
cepted, the most beautiful of the whole. To the full ac- 
count published by that excellent naturalist, in the 10th 
volume of the Linnean Transactions, of the four species, 
we have been greatly indebted, particularly, it will be per- 
ceived, in drawing up the characters of the genus. We 
have therefore followed him in his examinations, but have 
described nothing that we ourselves have not verified. 
The error which Linn^us committed (he used to boast 
that he never employed a microscope), and which he bor- 
rowed from DiLLENius, arose from overlooking the colu- 
mella ; but this would have been corrected in the " Me- 
thodus Muscorum*" of the younger Linn/eus, had he not 
indignantly cancelled the sheet as written by Ehrhart, 
and retained the original descriptions of his father. The 
genus Andr^ea was, however, established by Ehrhart 
(Ehr. Beytrage, i. p. 15. and 180.): it was retained by Hed- 
wiG in the posthumous work " Species Muscorum," as also 
by ScHW^GRiCHEN in his Supplement, but both place 
it next to Tetrwphis, among the mosses furnished with a 
peristome ; deceived probably by the supposition, that in 
maturity, the operculum would fall off. This, however, 
we have stated, never really to separate of its own accord ; 
and, indeed, ScHWiEGRiCHEN adds, " Peristomii dentes in 
speciminibus nostris non satis maturatis emollitis forte con- 
glutinati." He also elsewhere remarks, " Melior forte locus 
ad muscorum finem Andreaa: designaretur," where it ha§ 
been since placed by Bridei,. But instead of the conclu- 
sion, we think the commencement of a system of Mosses is 
the most appropriate situation for Andrcca, as it forms a 
link of union between the Hepatic^ and the Musci ; the 
former of which orders being the least perfect, must conse- 
quently precede the latter in a proper natural arrangement ; 
and in such an arrangement of Musci, both Andrcca and 
VOL. IV. I 
