— 75 — 
from a specimen or specimens collected by him only once and in the vicinity fs 
Halle. Tessellina pyramidata of modern authors is said by K. Muller and othero 
not to occur within the boundaries of Germany. Willdenow, however, believed 
his plant to be the same as Micheli’s Riccia media obscure virens, etc. and cited 
Micheli’s description and figure and Dillenius’s copy of Micheli’s figure. And 
this incidental and mistaken reference to Micheli’s work in connection with the 
publication of the second species of Tessellina mentioned by Dumortier is all 
that “Tessellina” in the modern sense hangs upon. In other words, the genus 
Tessellina was originally based upon two species, of which the first and the evi- 
dent type was the plant for which Raddi had previously established the genus 
Corsinia, and of which the second, interpreted by description rather than by al- 
leged synonymy, was a genuine Riccia. It is true that Dumortier afterwards 
•essentially modified and reformed his genus Tessellina, but meanwhile the Oxy - 
mitra of Bischoff had been established in a manner approved by all the modern 
rules of nomenclature. The name Oxymitra is, however, unfortunately, in cur- 
rent use for a genus of Annonaceae, but that, as a generic name, dates from 1855, 
though the name appears to have been proposed by Blume for a section as early 
as 1829 11 , the date of the founding of Oxymitra Bisch. 
The great state of Texas offers an almost unexplored field so far as its less 
conspicuous bryophytes are concerned and from the collections being made at 
Austin and elsewhere by Dr. M. S. Young and Dr. F. McAllister, and at College 
Station by Dr. F. H. Blodgett it is manifest that the state is especially well 
supplied with the Ricciaceae. Peculiarly interesting species of Riccia proper 
bave been found there by these botanists and it is possible that some of them 
may form the subject of a later communication to the Bryologist. 
New York Botanical Garden, 
Bronx Park, New York City. 
HENRY WILLEY. 
In connection with the publication of a new species of lichen in the May issue 
■of the Bryologist it is fitting that mention should be made of the noted Hellen- 
ist for whom this plant is named, Mr. Henry Willey. Born in Geneseo, New 
York, July 10, 1824, he died at South Weymouth, Massachusetts, March 15, 
1907. At first a teacher in the Mattapoisett schools, he later became editor of 
The Standard, New Bedford, Massachusetts, but from his boyhood days he had 
been a collector and student of the lichens and was a pupil of Edward Tucker- 
man, whose last work he edited. As a man it is said that he was exceedingly 
diffident and peculiar, living mainly in seclusion with his books and collections 
11 Le Jolis (Mem. Soc. Nat. Cherbourg 29: 152. 1894), giving this date as 1828, has made 
this a ground for giving up Oxymitra as a. genus of Hepaticae. 
