In its younger state, the stigma appears closed and convex. At maturity it opens, and becomes cup-shaped ; and a granular matter is sonietimes seen to arise from it, the nature and use of which is quite unknown. As the stigma opens, the style begins to show in some species a single canal, as in the genus Sphagnum, in Encalypta vulgaris and ciliata ; two canals, as in Gym nostomum truncatulum ; several, as in Hypnutn tri suetrum. They arc sometimes furnished with lateral bars, resembling plaits in the surrounding membrane. The style is generally deciduous, in some few instances it is caducous.
The gertnen is at first usually of a figure more or less ovate, generally acutninate towards the summit; when it begins to swell, it assumes the figure of a cone.
Objectors to the Hcclwigian theory have contended, that it is scarce possible to conceive that the pollen, froin a close genttniform separate flower, should ever reach the pistils, even in mohcecious mosses. They have considered the objection still stronger in .the case of the clicecious, and altogether insuperable in regard to the aquatic species. But since the fluid contained in the mass of pollen escapes with a vet), considerable elastic force, there seems no reason to doubt that it may easily clear the leaves of the periclixtium; and besides, these at certain times open very considerably. The dice-:ious species usually live in society', the males inter mingled with the females. But in cases where clumps of male or female mosses occur at a distance from the other sex, even this can be no more a legitimate objec tion to the fledwigian theory, than the occurrence of male or female date-palms, at a dist „nee from the other sex, can furnish a legitimate objection to the sexual theory in Piesenogamous botany. In such instances, the plants, ots examination, have invariably' been found sterile. The objection respecting the aquatic mosses will appear by no means formidable, if we recollect, that in serene weather, the young flowering branches of Fontinalis antipyreica may be found floating' on the surface of the water, while in rainy and cold weather they seek the bottom; and that of other aquatic mosses, which have not this habit, or the stems of which are too short to reach the surface of the watet, perhaps all arc sterile, listless when they grow in places only occasionally inun dated. For further objections to the Hedwi.:6an ihcory,
we refer tri Gaertner De Fructibus tt Se-minibus Planta runt. in the Introduction ; Xrckar's Phytriologia .illusco runt, and llitthodus Aluscorunt ; and to De Beauvais' lurodrome d'iletlicogamie. The objections of these writers, wc have no doubt our readers will find no diffi culty in answering for themselves. Those of Gaertner, in particular, have been generally noted as quite un worthy of so great a man. His remarks, made at a time %viten the pone.) of mosses was supposed to be farina ceous, regarding the effects uf moisture on the pollen of mosses, in particular, show that his love of argument,in this instance, had made him forget the nature of pollen, in the whole division of cotyledoneous plants.
In the female flowers, the succulent jointed threads, mentioned under the male flowers, are also very rarely ab.sent. lit various Polytrichia, they. are so abundant, that, adhering to the glutitious calyptra, when it 115 rising, they furnish it with a dense hairdike coverins-. In these mosses, the threads are always filiform througre out.
The calyptra is a thin transparent membrane, that completely invests the pistil. Around the germen it is always free ; though at an early period it embraces the gerinen so closely as to have the appear,snce of cohering with it. It forms the transparent exterior covering of the style, ancl is insepaiably connected with the little ducts in the centre. Oi the stigma it forms the chief part of the large cup•sliaped expansion. After fecun dation, the calyptra is the first part which begins to enlarge. The style and stigma are not long in decay ing ; but the part of the calyptra surrounding the ger met) becomes ventricose, Gymnostonsuin pyriforme) sometimes Ilagon-shaped, (in Funatia hygionittrica) sometimes it is consnicted in the middle, (as in the genus Spliagnune) and in every instance, in tnis state, it contains IA limpid fluid. Tne fruit stalk begins to elotigate; but the fruit remains extremely small in the upper part of the Calyptra. Alter the Calyptra has been torn tip from the base, by the elongation of the fruitstalk, then the fruit, having more freedom, begins slowly to eMarg-e. In the genera Sphagnum and Andraea alone, in which the capsule is always sessile, the calyptra is, by the enlargement of the capsule, torn irregularly to wards the middle; and the upper part is very lugacious.