Volume 9 - Electric Scotland

1
76 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY
smooth, inflexed in the upper two -thirds, to the extent, in the
middle of the leaf, of 35, deeply cucullate at the apex with frequently
a thin horizontal band connecting the apical margins ;
nerve pale yellow then reddish, breadth near base, 70 to 90,
tapering, smooth on the back and prominent, slightly excurrent in
a stiff mucro, but not always ;
areolation at central base and
considerably outwards pellucid with double thin walls, or presumably
in two layers of cells, 18 to 32 by 10 to 16, smaller outwards,
gradually lessening upwards and ending transversely, the slightly
clasping portion occupying about one -fifth length of leaf; upper
cells opaque but fairly distinct, 8 to 12 diameter. This moss can
only be associated with M. crispula, but the differences are
manifest.
There is a slight doubt as to the habitat, but it was either picked
up somewhere in the Clyde basin or on Ben Lawers more
; probably
on the latter.
MOLLIA TERRENA.
Rather loosely tufted, dingy yellowish-green
above, brownish-black below ;
stems from i to i
\ inch long, simple,
at times dichotomously branched ;
leaves loosely set, somewhat
longer near and at apex, fragile, crisped when dry, widely spreading,
even recurved when moistened, from a clasping, somewhat broader,
pellucid base, broadly oblongo-lanceolate, apex rather suddenly and
convexly narrowing to a broad blunt apiculus (breadth about 65),
which is often serrulate ; margin plane, but somewhat incurved near
the apex ; coarsely crenated by projecting cells of a single marginal
row, the longer diameter of which is set transversely, also distantly
but distinctly serrate nearly throughout nerve
; narrow, breadth
near base about 65, tapering, plane in front, slightly convex behind,
ending below the summit of the broad apiculus ;
central basal cells
pellucid, oblong, presumably in two layers, 35 to 50 by 10 to 14,
smaller outwards as well as upwards where they end nearly transversely
in the general areolation, which is composed of opaque,
largish, bluntly quadrate cells, minutely papillose on both sides,
8 to 13 long.
On peaty earth, island of Harris, Outer Hebrides. This moss
seems allied to M. recurvifolia (Tayl.), but the margins are not
pellucid, etc.
BARBULA FERRUGINASCENS. Densely tufted, of a lurid green,
at length entirely of a rusty red colour stems
; upright from a quarter
to one-half of an inch long, sparingly branched ;
leaves closely set,
slightly contorted when dry, erecto-patent, straight and stiff when
moist, rather broadly ovate lanceolate, slightly acuminate nerve
;
yellow, then red, flattish in front, rounded and prominent behind,
thickness about 50, breadth near base 60, nearly cylindrical, scarcely
tapering, perhaps a little broader near the middle, excurrent shortly
in a straight, stiff, blunt apex, generally tipped with a tawny, smooth,