— 15 — 
The type of Hypnum nigrescens , Sw., is at Stockholm. It is described as 
being a foot long, with branches an inch long. None of the Florida speci- 
mens attain this size, and there is another character which is conspicuous in. 
the Florida specimens which is not mentioned in the original description. 
These are the denuded flagellate branches shown in the accompanying illus- 
tration. The leaves fall off, leaving only a tuft at the apex, and this also 
falls, serving to propagate the species. On account of this character and also 
because of the more acuminate leaves, Austin distributed No. 533 of his 
Musci Appalachiani as M. nigrescens var. Donnellii. He had specimens- 
for comparison from T. P. James and Wolle collected in Jamaica, Mexico and 
Venezuela. Although he did not publish any description of this variety, the 
notes in his herbarium show that he thought it sufficiently distinct at one 
time to be of specific rank. I have recently compared the Florida speci- 
mens with ones from Jamaica and find that ours have a smaller, narrower 
leaf, more subulate-acuminate with a narrower base, less auriculate angles 
which are decurrent with quadrate cells, and the cells of the auricles and 
apex are longer, less rhomboidal, with more numerous and prominent 
papillae. 
The best description of M. nigrescens is given by C. Muller in the Synop- 
sis Muscorum. Kindberg has described two species from Florida, as he 
calls the variety Donnellii a sub-species, and refers them both to Papil- 
laria. He states that P . Donnellii is not distinctly papillose (in this he is 
mistaken), and describes the flagellate branches Jn P. nigrescens. He is 
quite right in calling them Papillaria, but I do not believe there are two 
species in our Southern States and the characters he uses to differentiate the 
two species may be found in all the specimens I have seen. In fact Muller 
describes “slender flagellate stolons” in other tropical specimens. As we 
have very little material except from Florida in our collection, I feel some 
hesitation in deciding whether the differences are sufficient for even varietal 
rank, but only comparison with the type will decide this satisfactorily. 
New, York Botanical Garden. 
A CORRECTION. 
In the November number of The Bryologist I wrote Ulota coarctata 
for Ulota Ludwigii Brid. This was a pure error as coarctata belongs to a 
different species if used with the generic name Ulota. 
A. J. Grout. 
A CORRECTION. 
Our attention has been called to an error in statement on page 101, in 
the November, 1903, number; sixth line from the top should read: (8) Leskea 
tectorum (A. Braun) Lindb. A. M. S. 
