96 Notes on Mosses from West Kilbride. [Sess. 



" make a living." In districts where other squirrel food is 

 plentiful, fir-woods will not suffer so much from squirrels. 



With all that Dr Eobertson says of the squirrel as a -pd 

 I entirely sympathise, and I feel sure every member of the 

 Society is like-minded. But should he still remain a sceptic 

 as to the damage done by his friends in their native haunts, 

 let him pay a visit to any of these when the rigours of our 

 arctic winter are over, and see for himself. 



y\\\.— NOTES ON 3WSSUS FROM WEST KILBRIDE, 

 AYRSHIRE. 



By Mr D. A. BOYD, Cokresponding Member. 

 (Read Feb. 2}t, 1904.) 



The two mosses submitted for exhibition this evening cannot 

 be accounted rare species, although perhaps they may be un- 

 familiar to bryologists whose work has chiefly been carried on 

 in inland districts, or where the nature of the prevailing soil 

 is otherwise than sandy. 



Tortula ruraliformis was formerly regarded by Dr Braith- 

 waite as a maritime form of T. ruralis, and as such is described 

 by him in his ' British Moss-Flora ' under the name of var. 

 arenicola. It had previously, however, been described by a 

 French bryologist as a separate species, under the name of 

 T. ruraliformis, which, of course, is entitled to be preferred. 

 It differs very obviously from T. ruralis in the shape of the 

 leaves, which have the upper portion of the lamina tapering 

 towards the white hair-point ; in the colour of the plant, 

 which is a golden-green ; and in the habitat, which is sandy 

 places near the sea. It is abundant in many localities on the 

 Ayrshire coast ; while T. ruralis, which grows on walls and 

 roofs, and prefers inland localities, is much less frequently 

 met with in this district. 



Brachythecium albicans is another common species on sandy 



