13 



at the Churcli Congress a large-hearted Bishop uttered in Darwin's 

 own town of Shrewsbury a warm panegyric on his work, 

 acknowledging the greater breadth which that illustrious naturalist 

 had given to our ideas of nature and nature's God. When we find 

 a responsible dignitary of the Church not fearing to avow such 

 sentiments on such an occasion, scientists and theologians may 

 well join hands in thankfulness to the Great First Cause and agree 

 that knowledge is a great power, and a power for the good of 

 mankind and of the world. 



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th, 1896. 



CHRONICLES OF A CLAY CLIFF 



(Illusteated by Lantern Slides) 



BT 



Mk. w. h. shrubsole, f.g.s., 



At the Athenceum Hall. 

 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9th. 



MOSSES. 



BY 



Mk. W. E. NICHOLSON. 



The true mosses form the highest division of the cellular 

 cryptogams, and they are separated from the higher cryptogams by 

 the absence of vessels, and from the lower, such as the algae, by 

 the greater differentiation of their parts and the possession of a 

 definite stem and leaves. As thus defined they would include the 

 greater number of the Hepaticse or scale-mosses, but those mem- 

 bers of this group, which have a definite stem and leaves, are dis- 

 tinguished from the true mosses by the presence of elaters or 

 spiral threads mixed with the spores, from nearly all mosses by 

 their distichous (two-ranked) nerveless leaves, and by their 

 valvular capsule. 



