THE 1*1055= PLORA. 



CHARLES CROSSLAND, F.L.S. 



INTRODUCTION. 



THE accompanying list of mosses is based very largely 

 upon the labours of Bolton, Gibson, Nowell, and other 

 early workers in this branch of botany, within the boundaries 

 of the parish of Halifax. The results of their individual efforts 

 have been registered in several previously published floras. 

 All records considered to be of a satisfactory nature have been 

 utilised again. In addition, all existing local herbaria contain- 

 ing mosses have been consulted ; these have furnished several 

 species, of which no records have hitherto been published. In 

 many instances, when thought necessary, and when the 

 material was available, old records have been checked by an 

 examination of the specimens. 



No records can be satisfactorily traced for this district prior 

 to those contained in the Catalogue of Plants, which forms not 

 the least interesting or valuable portion of Watson's History 

 of Halifax (1775). This catalogue is now generally accepted 

 as being the work of James Bolton. It contains 89 species 

 under the heading of Mosses: their numbers being 201-289. 

 Of these, 69 have been confirmed by recent gatherings, two 

 are now included in the liverworts, one is a synonym and 

 two are not traceable. The remaining fifteen are all known 

 British mosses, but have not been again recorded for this district. 

 Possibly a few of the fifteen may be errors : the list was made 

 and published when the study of these minute plants was in its 

 infancy, and the descriptions meagre. Nor had Bolton any 

 opportunity of correcting the catalogue when it had once been 

 published, though he probably recognised that it contained 

 some mistakes, as he continued to work at the Halifax flora 

 for many years afterwards. These unconfirmed records are 

 here placed within brackets. The disappearance of other 

 mosses may be accounted for by the great changes wrought in 

 the district by the increasing vitiation of the atmosphere and 



