i%z ; B O T 
pidillum rifes upward, upon a Header filiform footdalk, 
(hooting out the calyptra.or veil d, which feryes as a pro¬ 
tecting cover to the fructification. ,As the germen, g, ap¬ 
proaches to maturity, the calyptra withers and. falls away, 
and the germen becomes pendulous, as at fig. u, the apex 
being doled by an operculum or lid, marked e. Pericar¬ 
dium, fig. i2 ; the germen ripened into a capfule, alumies 
a reddiHr colour, and calling the operculum or lid, opens 
liorizonially, and puts forth a double perijloma, or fringe; f, 
the outer fringe ; h, the inner fringe ; having fixteen teeth 
in each. When the operculum' falls off, the outer fringe 
fprings back, as (hewn at J] fig. x 2 ; but in the fpace of from 
fix to ten. feconds, it folds up again, as at fig. 13, which 
exhibits a longitudinal ("edition of the capfule, to (hew the 
interior column, extending from the bafe to the point of the 
capfule, and giving the operculum a prominent or pointed 
appearance ; i, the radiated ring, fixed between the mouth 
of the capfule and the operculum; this, and t he fringe, 
forming a very curiousand beautiful apparatus for the pro¬ 
tection of the feeds. Fig. 14, the more matured capfule, 
in the ait of difcliarging the feeds; which being extreme¬ 
ly minute, numerous, and light, are wafted about by the 
gentled breeze, till tailing into the inequalities of the bark 
of trees, of walls, Hones, &c. they there take root, and feed 
at the expence of the tree, as mouldinefs does on bread.’ 
The genera of modes ranged under this order by Lin¬ 
naeus, have been lately fplit into feveral others by Hed- 
wig, and the other reformers. Hypnum and Bryum were 
indeed fo unwieldy, that it was very defirable they diould 
be divided. The genera of modes as they now Hand in 
Sclireber, are, Phafcum, Sphagnum, Gyinnodomum, Te- 
traplus, Oitoblepharis, Splachnum, Griminia, Encalypta, 
Dicrantnn, Trichodorruim, Didymodon, Tortilla, Weidia, 
Pohlia, Funaria, Bryum, Timtuia, Meeda, Bartramia, 
Fontinalis, Hypnum, I.efkia, Neckera, Buxbaumia, and 
Polytrichum; all which fee under their refpective titles 
in this work. 
Other modes were placed by Linnaeus in his order of 
Algae ; but they are now feparated from that, and form adif- 
tinCl order, under the name of Hepatic.®. In thefe, the 
female fructifications are inclofed in a veil, which opens 
at the top, and difcharges the capfule. The capfule opens 
lengthwife, and is filled with numerous feeds, fixed to an 
elafiic cord, formed of one or two fpiral threads. Some 
plants are referred to this new fubdivifion on account of 
their agreement in general habit, though the female fruc¬ 
tification has no veil, but is placed upon, or immerfed in, 
the fubdance of the leaf. The leaves are niofily lobed, 
exhibiting a net-work of veficles, and, though dried, re¬ 
viving again when moidened with water. 
Hedwig obferves, that all the female florets have a dou¬ 
ble calyx, ora calyx and corolla. In diape and firuChire, 
he fays, they greatly refemble the proper modes, but that 
lie never found the fucculent threads: the pidil-like fub- 
ftances arc however found, accompanying both the germ 
and ripened capfule; but not in all the fpecies. The 
capfule, like thofe of the true modes, is inclofed in a veil, 
to which the dyle adheres; but this veil is not, as in them, 
loofened at its attachment and railed along with the grow¬ 
ing capfule ; it tears open in two, three, or four, places, 
and lias therefore been fometimes conddered as a petal. 
All thefe modes agree in ripening their fruit, which is 
raffed upon an elongated peduncle, and opens by four 
valves, filled with the feeds, attached to eladic cords. 
The genera comprehended under this fubdivifion, Hepa¬ 
tic®, are, Marchantia, liver-green; Jungertnannia, dar- 
tip ; Targionia ; AnthoeeroS ; Blafia ; Riccia, mardi li¬ 
ver-wort ; and Splisepocarpus ; which fee under their dif¬ 
ferent heads. 
Moiies, by the inconfiderate mind, are generally deemed 
an ufeleh part of the creation. That they are not, is evi¬ 
dent from lienee ; that He who made them, made nothing 
in vain. Many of their ufes we know ; that they have 
many more which we know not, is unquedionable,’ fince 
there is probably no one thing in the univerfe of which 
ANY. 
we dare to affert that we know all its ufes. Thus much 
we are certain of with refpeft to modes, that as they floii- 
ridi mod in winter, and at that time cover the ground 
with a lively green, in places which would dtherwife be 
naked, and when little verdure is elfevvhere to be feen; fo 
at the fame time they dielter and preferve the feeds, roots, 
germs, and embryo plants of many vegetables, which 
would othenvife perifh ; they furnidi materials for birds 
to build their neds; they afford a warm winter’s retreat 
for fome quadrupeds, and for numberlefs infeeds, which 
are the food of birds and tidies, and thefe again the food 
or delight ot men. Many of them grow on rocks and bar¬ 
ren places, and rotting away, help to afford the means of 
vegetation to other plants, which in thofe fituations could 
not othenvife profper. Others grow in bogs and marfhes, 
and by continual increafe and decay fill up and convert 
them either into fertile padures, or into peat-bogs, 
the fource of inexhaudible fuel to the polar regions. 
1 hey are applicable alfo to many domedic purpofes*’: the 
lycopodiums are ufeful in dying yarn; the i'phagnum and, 
polytricluim furnidi convenient beds for the Laplanders; 
the hypnums are ufed in tiling hotifes, (topping crevices 
in walls, packing up brittle wares, and the roots of plants 
for didant conveyance. 
Modes are obferved to thrive bed in barren places; and 
they retain moidure a long time without being difpofed to 
putrify. lienee the gardener avails iiirafelf of them to 
cover the foil and pots which contain his tendered plants;, 
for it equally defends the roots againd the (torching fun- 
beams, and the feverity of the frofi. In the fpt ing parti- 
cularly the roots of young trees and dirubs are liable to 
be thrown out of the ground, efpecially in light dmdy 
foils : but if they are covered with mofs, this accident ne¬ 
ver can happen. They who raife trees from feed, will 
find an filtered in attending to this remark. And though 
modes are injurious to the bark of trees, it is nevertheless 
a vulgar error to fuppofe that they impoveridi land. It 
is true they grow upon poor land which can fupport no¬ 
thing, elfe ; but their roots penetrate very little, in gene¬ 
ral hardly a quarter of an inch into the earth. Take away 
the mofs, and indead of more grafs there will be lefs ; but 
if the land be drained and manured, the grafs will increafe, 
and tlie mofs will difappear. Their pharmaceutical or 
medicinal virtues are but little known, and lefs attended 
to. It is probable, on account of their adringent proper¬ 
ties, that fome of them might be worth trying as a fucce- 
daneum for oak bark in tanning leather. 
Order III. ALG^E. 
The true algaeous plants fcarceiy admit of adidinidion 
of root, dem, and leaf; much lefs are we enabled to de- 
feribe the parts of the dowers. The genera, therefore, 
are didinguiflied by the fituation of what we fuppofe to 
be the flowers or feeds, or by the refemblance of the whole 
plant to fome other fubdance we are better acquainted 
with. The genera arranged under this order by Linnaeus, 
are as follow : Jungermannia, dar-tip ; Targionia; Mar- 
chantia, liver-green; Blafia; Riccia, mardi liver-wort; 
Anthoceros; Lichen, liver-wort; Trenrella, dar-jelly; 
Fueus, fea-weed, vulgarly called wrack; Ulva, laver; 
Conferva, crow-fike, or river-weed ; and Byffus. Some 
of thefe genera, approaching more nearly to, the oeconomy 
of modes, yet didering from them in effential character, 
gave occafion to the later botanids to remove them into 
the intermediate fubdivifion Hepatic®, above explain¬ 
ed. So that the plants now Handing in this order, are 
only the Lichen, Tremella, Fueus, Ulya, Conferva, and 
Byffus. In feveral of thefe, a difeovery of the mode of 
propagation feems to iiave baffled the mod indefatigable 
refearch, and dill remains a fubject of much doubt. Ac¬ 
cording to Dr. Withering, the fruiljications are to be found 
either in a kind of faucers or tubercles, as in Lichen; in 
globular bladders, affuming the appearance o£a berry, as 
in Fueus, Plate X. fig. 26 ; or dilperfed through the fub¬ 
dance of the plant, as in Ulva, The fpecies and charac¬ 
ters 
