J 4 FERN ALLIES. 



drew my attention, and on inquiry I found it was used 

 for the purpose of giving their wadmal a yellow dye, 

 which is done by merely boiling the cloth in water with 

 a quantity of the Lycopodium, and some leaves of the 

 Vaccinicum uliginosum. The colour imparted by this 

 process, to judge from some cloth shown me, was a pale 

 and pleasant, though not brilliant colour." 



The Fir Club-moss is a very marked species, growing 

 in sturdy little shrubs on bare ground, like young fir- 

 trees. This also flourishes upon the Yorkshire moors. 

 There is a gloomy tarn upon the top of Summer Lodge 

 Bank, its bed is formed of the debris from an exhausted 

 lead mine, and its shores for some distance inland are 

 heaped with the dark limestone refuse ; there is a lovely 

 prospect of grey hills in the distance but the near view 

 is gloomy enough. But here, among the grey shingle, 

 beside those cold still waters, numerous dwarf bushes live 

 and flourish, brave little Fir Lycopods. In this species 

 the seed vessels are situated among the leaves, over the 

 whole length of the branches (L. selago) Pliny mentions 

 that the Druids gathered the Selago with much ceremony, 

 and used it as a cure for complaints of the eye, and as a 

 charm to avert misfortune. Mr. Baird tells us that some 

 of the Highlanders use the Fir Club-moss instead of alum 

 in dyeing. 



The Marsh Club-moss (L. inundatum) is one of the 

 smallest of the family. We have only once been in its 

 native home, or rather in one of its native homes, for it 

 is not a very uncommon plant. It used to flourish on 

 Eudd Heath, Cheshire, and still flourishes there in all 

 probability, if the rage for drainage has left any part of 



