32 NATURAL SCIENCE [July 



the subject, and who since 1879 have found many of the species 

 which were expected to occur, very few additional observations have 

 been published. But it is hoped that the impetus given of late 

 years to microscopic work will result in more naturalists directing 

 their attention to this undeveloped side of county floras. 



It may perhaps serve a useful purpose to direct attention, under 

 the different groups of Cryptogams, to the work that still remains to 

 be done in Kent, and to mention under each, the districts that have 

 not yet been searched, so far as I am aware, and which are therefore 

 most likely to repay investigation. 



1. Mosses. — Since 1879 twenty-seven species have been found 

 new to the county, but there still remain a number which have been 

 suggested as likely to occur in Kent, since most of them have been 

 found in the neighbouring counties of Surrey, Sussex, or Hamp- 

 shire. There are, however, some parts of the Weald of Kent, 

 especially those on the Sussex border, which have not been fully 

 explored, but which may yield some of the moorland species. This 

 is evident from the recent researches of Sir James Stirling, who has 

 added several species to the county flora from the neighbourhood of 

 Goudhurst. The mosses yet unrecorded are those likely to occur on 

 hilly woods and moorlands, rocky shores, damp sand-rocks, and damp 

 sand-hills near the sea. 



The shores of Kent, between Dover and Deal, and the sand 

 dunes on the east coast, as well as the marshes on the north coast 

 of the county, may be expected to yield several species. This part 

 of Kent, as well as the parks and woods about Canterbury, and 

 between Ashford and Appledore, and in the neighbourhood of Cran- 

 brook and Hawkhurst, and between Maidstone and Chatham and 

 Sittingbourne, and between Wye and Folkestone, have not, I believe, 

 been thoroughly explored, and would probably furnish other species. 



The best time to search for mosses is from September to May, 

 choosing as a rule damp days after showers, when the foliage is 

 expanded. (A list of the species likely to occur in Kent is appended 

 to this paper.) 



2. Scalemosses. — The species unrecorded for the county are 

 chiefly those which grow on damp sand-rocks and in boggy woods, 

 and these also must be looked for near the Sussex boundary, or in 

 the neighbourhood of Ashford. The best time of the year to search 

 for them is from February to April. (A list of those that may 

 possibly be found in Kent is given below.) 



3. Fungi. — The number of species of Fungi occurring in Kent 

 is comparatively large, but several parts of the county, particularly 

 the districts alluded to under mosses, still need exploration. The 

 groups which are still very badly represented are the Myxomycetes 

 and Gasteromycetes, and some groups of the Coniomycetes, Hypho- 



