558 



" Sir James E. Smith, the author of the ' English Flora,' observes, 

 that ' a plant gathered in a celebrated or delightful spot, is like the 

 hair of a friend, more dear to memory than even a portrait, because it 

 excites the imagination without presuming to fill it.' When we look 

 upon this little moss, neither its own simple beauty, nor that of the 

 various species with which it has a family relation, alone engage the 

 attention, for before it flits glorious remembrances or imaginative an- 

 ticipations of magnificent Highland mountains and ocean shores." — 

 p. 19. 



" Fissideus bryoides. Small Fern-leaved Fork Moss, or Mungo 

 Park's Moss. — This pretty little moss is found in various parts of the 

 world. Even in the sandy deserts of Africa, it is met with; and we 

 are told by that intrepid traveller, Mungo Park, that the contempla- 

 tion of its beauty was at one time the means of preserving his life. 

 Plundered by banditti, worn out with fatigue, and surrounded by all 

 the horrors of the desert, his courage almost failed him, and he sat 

 down to rest his weary limbs, and ponder on his destitute condition. 

 ' At this moment,' he says, ' painful as my reflections were, the ex- 

 traordinary beauty of a small moss irresistibly caught my eye ; and 

 though the whole plant was not larger than the tip of one of my fin- 

 gers, I could not contemplate the delicate conformation of the roots, 

 leaves, &c., without admiration. Can that Being (I thought) who 

 planted, watered, and brought to perfection, in this obscure part of 

 the world, a thing of so small importance, look with unconcern upon 

 the situation and sufferings of creatures formed after his own image ? 

 Surely not ! Reflections such as these would not allow me to 

 despair : I started up, and, disregarding both hunger and fatigue, 

 travelled forwards, assured that relief was at hand, and I was not 

 disappointed.' 



" Fissidens is closely allied to Dicranum, and both are named from 

 the sixteen teeth of the fringe being bijid, or divided like a fork. 

 There are several species, and the leaves of all are very curious in 

 their structure, the upper half being double, or composed as it were 

 of two plates or leaves. 



" This grows diffusedly spread over shady banks, particularly un- 

 der the shade of hedges and woods, and is met with in fructification 

 at various seasons. It is an exquisite little moss, and cannot fail to 

 strike with admiration any one who will bestow upon it an attentive 

 examination." — p. 27. 



