S6 The Scottish Naturalist. 



MOSSES. 



Of all the cryptogams — that is to say, all except the ferns and 

 their allies which have already been discussed — the mosses of 

 the glen and its vicinity are the best known, thanks to the labours 

 of Miss M'Inroy of Lude. 



One of the first mosses recorded from Glen Tilt was Dicraiium 

 Grevilleamivij which was found " upon the ground in an old 

 neglected road at the foot of Een-y-Gloe" by Messrs Greville, 

 Arnott, and Hooker, in 1823, and which was not found again for 

 many years. Miss M'Inroy rediscovered it in Glen Tilt, and it 

 has also been found elsewhere. 



Another very interesting moss discovered by the same lady is 

 the little Seligeria tristicha. Two other species of the genus, 

 S. piisilla and S. recurvata, both scarce species, also occur, as 

 does the still rarer allied species, Anodiis Doniaims. 



In our visits to Glen Tilt, I have not been able to pay very 

 much attention to the mosses. Amongst the species I have 

 noticed are Eiicalypta streptocai'pa, not an uncommon moss in 

 many districts, but very rarely fruiting. On an old wall near 

 Blair Castle I have never failed to find capsules, and this is the 

 only locality where I have found them. Tortula princeps grows 

 on rocks a little further up the Tilt ; and on Craig Mhor 

 Anacalypta latifolia was found rather abundantly by Mr Roy and 

 myself. Professor Barker has also found the same moss in Glen 

 More, one of the valleys running into Glen Tilt. 



In damp crevices of rocks on Ben Chat, OLdipodiiun Griffithia- 

 ?iu/n, a curious moss, almost or quite confined to Britain, is not 

 uncommon ; and in woods near Blair Castle the beautiful Hyp- 

 mun crista-castrensis may be found. On Ben Ghlo probably 

 many of the alpine species occur. It is one of the oldest 

 localities for Catoscopiinn nigrittun. In a deep rocky hole 

 amongst the heather, high up on that hill, I was surprised to 

 find the pretty Nookeria lucefis, a moss I never have seen else- 

 where in so alpine a situation. Weissia vei'ticillata is very 

 abundant on the drij)ping limestone rock opposite the Falls of 

 Fender^ 



Amongst the rarer mosses found by Miss M'Inroy in Glen 

 Tilt or its neighbourhood are : Dicrajiuin fa/cattan, Anacalypta 

 tanceo/afa, Tortula 7'igida, Encalypta rhal)docarpa^ Grimviia Don- 

 iiiana^ Qj'thotrichitm tenclluin^ O. Brrtchii, Lcptohrynm pyriformc^ 

 Bryum Zierii, Aml)lyodon dcalbatns^Pterogoniiun fdifonne^Hypnuni 

 Sonuncrfcldiii\ //. syh'aticani, &c., &c. 



