194 Mr. R. Spruce on the Musci and Hepaticse of Teesdale. 



be covered with its purple capsules_, so rare in the low countries, 

 where this beautiful species is only of accidental occurrence ; 

 here, in company with the magnificent Br. pseudo-triquetrum, it 

 spreads over rocks moistened by the water which trickles from 

 the heights. The hollow ways are decked with the elegant Br. 

 longicollum {Br. elongatum, Dicks.), with its slender and graceful 

 capsules/' &c. &c. Though Teesdale possesses no mountains 

 whose height can be compared to those of Switzerland and 

 " Rheinland/' — no eternal snows and glaciers, its more north- 

 erly latitude renders it capable of producing many alpine plants 

 at a less altitude than in the Vosges and Alps, or even in the 

 mountains of the more southern parts of our own islands. Thus 

 while my friend Dr. Taylor has to ascend to the summit of Bran- 

 don mountain for Br. Zierii, I have seen it in Teesdale growing 

 in the greatest luxuriance at the altitude of a thousand feet, 

 which is more than two-thirds less than the former. 



For a complete geographical and geological description of 

 Teesdale, I must refer to the second Part of Phillips's ' Geology 

 of Yorkshire,' but the following sketch of part of the course of 

 the Tees, extracted from page 153 of that work, may be accept- 

 able : — 



" The Tees rises on the east part of Crossfell, which is 2901 

 feet high, flows eastward four miles, through the Yoredale lime- 

 stones to the Tyne bottom limestone, and receives on its right 

 bank a stream called Trout beck, which flows north-eastward from 

 a hollow in the Penine chain on the main limestones 2400 feet 

 above the sea. The united stream flows south-east, first in Tyne 

 bottom limestone, and afterwards in AVhin sill, to the Weel, 1489 

 feet above the sea, then falls over the basaltic rocks of Caldron 

 Snout, about 200 feet, and receives Maize beck. The general 

 course of Maize beck is east-north-east. From Caldron Snout the 

 Tees still runs east-north-east till it receives the long stream of 

 Harewood beck, flowing south-east, which direction it takes and 

 continues in basalt to below the miners' bridge, thence south- 

 eastward in Yoredale limestone, grits and plates, to near Eggle- 

 stone, having received on the right the Lune flowing east-by- 

 north, thence to Egglestone abbey in plates and grits above main 

 limestone, receiving on the right the waters of Balderdale and 

 Deepdale, east-by-north. Two miles below it receives the Greta." 



Of the other streams alluded to in the following list, Etters- 

 gill beck runs into the Tees, on the Durham side, between the 

 High Force and Winch Bridge ; its course is almost entirely in 

 limestone. " Hell Cleft " is the name given to a ravine (exca- 

 vated in the limestone) above the village of Newbiggen ; it is 

 also traversed by a considerable stream. Blea beck comes tum- 

 bhng down over basaltic rocks on the north side of Green Fell 



