16 
BOTANY OF KERGUELEN ISLAND. 
II. — Musci. 
By William Mitten, A.L.S. 
Tlic first investigation of the mosses of Kerguelen vas made by Dr. J. D. 
Hooker during the voyage of tlie “ Erebus ” and “ Terror ” in the winter of 1810'. 
From the collections made by him there were described 31 species and vai’ieties, 
which were arranged as 25 species in 11 genera. Of the whole number six species 
were considered to be new and undcscribed, and the remainder to have been found 
in other regions. The most remarkable species contained in this collection are the 
ScJiistidium marginatum, IVeissia stricta, and TF". tortifolia. 
During the visit of the Challenger, there were collected by Mr. Moseley, in the 
summer of 1874, 28 species, of which number 20 were additional to those discovered 
by Dr. Hooker. Sufficient materials were obtained to establish the presence of 
eight more genera, all previously known to occur in austral lands, four of the 
siiecies appearing to be new. Twenty-eight species were obtained by Dr. Kidder of 
the American Transit Expedition, of Avhich number 12 were additions to the Flora, 
two being described as new. Following the above come the collections made by the 
liev. A. E. Eaton, pending the observations of the transit of Venus, ivliich include 
38 species, of which 17 were additional to the Flora of Kerguelen Island, three 
being undcscribed, and by this collection three genera ivere also added ; thus raising 
the whole number of the species of mosses inhabiting the Island to 74. This, con- 
sidering how'' much has been added by each collector to those which were previously 
known, is probably a low estimate of the entire moss flora. 
No genera peculiar to Kerguelen arc observable in the collections, unless a 
species here referred to J3llndia and the Schistidlum marginatum (here placed in 
Sfreptopogon) should be so considered. The remaining genera are universal in 
boreal as well as austral regions, with the exception of the three species of Bicranum, 
all which belong to extra -European sections of that genus. Twenty-three of the 
Kerguelen mosses arc considered identical with species found in the north of 
Europe and Ameiica, of these Brgum alpinum and Brachythccium salcbrosum had 
not before been identified in the southern hemisphere. 
A few distinct and well-marked species have been gathered in Kerguelen Island 
which arc also found at great elevations on the Andes of Quito and of New Grenada. 
Of these 31icl6cliliofcria campgtocarpa and Bsilopilu^n tricliodon arc conspicuous 
instances , they pi’obably inhabit the whole Andine chain. JBartramia app^'cssa , 
BrachytJiecium paradoxum, and Tortida Brinceps arc found also in New Zealand 
and Tasmania ; but with the exception of Bicranum kerguelense there is no species 
which points to any connexion with the mosses of South Africa. 
