MOSSES. 93 



but its drooping urns at first inclined me to suppose that 

 it must belong to that group ; only, instead of being pear- 

 shaped, they were oval. 1 hastened home with my trophy, 

 and upon consulting my cousin's book, I found that the 

 larger habit and oval urn distinguished the Thyme Thread 

 moss group from that of the true Thread mosses. It was 

 clear that my new specimen was the Long-leaved Thyme 

 Thread moss (Mnium ligulatum, Jg. 1 in cat), Marian 

 congratulated me warmly on my success ; for she said 

 that this moss, though common enough, was rarely found 

 with fruit upon it. 



On our next excursion to Richmond, we spent some 

 time in exploring the woods about Aske, the seat of the 

 Earl of Zetland. A stream runs through the valley; and 

 the thick foliage of the trees condense the vapours from 

 it, thus forming an atmosphere most suitable for flower- 

 less plants. 



Here the mosses and liverworts- were very luxuriant, 

 and it needed no guide to draw my attention to a carpet 

 of dark verdure under some holly bushes, which was all 

 beset with drooping urns. The oval shape of these now 

 over-ripe urns identified the plants as Thread mosses ; 

 the secondary fructification was also present in great 

 abundance, forming plots of starry tufts ; the leaves were 

 broad and lance-shaped, and the fruit-stalk was very ele- 

 gantly curved. It proved to be the Swan-neck Thyme- 

 Thread moss (Mnium hornum, Jg. 2). Another species, 

 evidently belonging to the same family, was growing near : 

 it had broad rounded leaves, which, when examined 

 through the lens, were seen to be dotted, and ed^ed with 

 a thick border. The upper leaves were still broader than 



