Playtime 195 



said Edna. "They are so gray and stiff and grow 

 on rocks and trees and other places where they get 

 no water except when it rains. I don't know how 

 thev live unless thev are like mv resurrection fern, 

 which curls up and rests in dry weather." 



"Suppose we look out for lichens and bring some 

 of the prettiest ones in for our collection," remarked 



Henry. 



Mosses 



From lichens, the conversation turned to mosses, 

 which seemed to grow everywhere, but were so small 

 that it was hard to notice many differences in them. 

 Henry knew of packing plants and making surgical 

 dressings with sphagnum, and putting mosses in 

 the walls of houses in cold countries to keep them 

 warm. William knew a moss with big hairy caps, 

 and Edna had made playhouses of one that grew in 

 pretty white tufts on the ground in woods. 



"What I should like to know," said Henry, 'is 

 how to reconcile 'an old mossback' with 'a rolling 

 stone gathers no moss.' They seem to me to con- 

 tradict each other." 



"Be that as it may," replied William, "Ed like 

 to gather a few mosses, just for the fun of it." 



On burnt ground, they found the common cord 

 moss; on rocks and about ferns in marshy places. 



