214 
LIFE STORIES OF PLANTS 
of these suggested tiny wheat stalks and heads. Lift 

the hood off. There is the capsule with 
a little lid on the end. You can remove 
this lid with a pin. There is the mouth 
of the capsule with a fringe of tiny 
teeth that you can just see with your 
sharp eyes. If you thrust the pm into 
the capsule, you will bring out a dusty ~ 
powder, like pollen, or like fern spores. 
These are moss spores; the moss cap- 
sule, then, 1s the spore case. 
There are some plants which are 
wrongly called “mosses.” Among these 
are the reindeer moss and the fairy cup- 
moss. They are found growing among 
heather and on shady banks, beng of a 
light powdery grey colour. But they are 
both very nearly related to the mushrooms 
you will read about in the next chapter, 
and are called “lichens.” They, too, bear 
spores. The true mosses do not have flowers, 
nor do they form true seeds. The spores 
of the moss form a green thread-like growth 
on the soil or rotten wood, which re- 
Fie. 260. Branched 
plant of “pigeon. Sembles some of the “pond scums.” 
wheat’ 
MOSss, 
showing “hooa» From this thread-like growth the leafy 
on spore case at 
left. 
moss stem arises. 
