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Show ( 73 ) ·T H ·E H I s .T . 0 R y . -o F L · A N T s. r • I ,II • p A RT I. B bo K III. M () s s E s. I ." N the generality of plant..s the parts of fruflijication are dijline! and obvious: _in fitch, therefore, nothing farther is· necejjar;y to the dijlinguijhing them into clqffes and genera, than an obfervation of tbofe parts. In the Moj[e.s it is much other• wift; their fruflijication, not"l.vithflanding .all,th~ improvements thai have been made in botany in the late ages, is yet but little underjlood. .'I'he feveral parts that ferve to it are not eajily difcernible; nor is the ufe if thofe which we can difcover yet afcertained. Linnceus has attemp!f:d. to arrange them according to tbefe, inaeed, in his ufual method; but himj'elf conf~/fis, (~a't he ~ is noi certain . whether what he calls the male parts of the fruflijication are not the fertzale, and, what he. calls ihe female, the male; and 'l.fe are to add to this, that almoft all the parts of JruClijication, upon "l.vhich the dijh'nctions of his method are foundet{; are wanting in. thefe plants. Where cbaraClers of one kind are dfjicient t~ the great end of all charaflers, dijlinflhn, we mufl have rec'Ourfe to thofe of ano~her, We could wijb to have been able to dzjlt'nguijh the genera if the 'A1o!Jes by thet't· fruelijication alone; put, as tbere are not charatler enough, or, at leajl, mough are not j'et dijcovered of that kt"nd, we mz!fl take in others, from the general habit of the plants. The Mqf!es, a very 1W1Jlf!rous ~ribe of plants, may be thus divided into Seven Clafles, the dijlinctionr oJ 'which :vill be obvioit~, from thr1 general form if the fpecies; and, under theje, tbe genera ma)' be dijlinguijhed by what is obvious of the frutlification. . · T'he Seven ClaJ!es. Moj}zs; C!afs the Ft'rfl. . Such as conftfl of tender, flexile filaments. Mojfes; Clafs the Seco11d. Such as conjifl of a mere foliaceous, or gelatinous 111atter. Mo./fes ; Clafi the '!bird. Such ps cttn.fifl of firm and rigid jlalks. l'dojfes ; Clajs tbe Fourth. Such as confifl of a dry, crujlaceous matter. Mojfes; C!afs the Fifth. Such as produce heads with opercula to them. Mojfes; Clafs the Sixth. Such as produc~ capjitles w~thout thife opetcu!a. Mojfes ; Clafs the Seventh. Such as cotJjVJ of a foliaceous matter, rzvith pedirlfs arijing· from it. MOSSES, |