186 THIRSK NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. \June, 



little surprised to meet with it in a situation of so wholly different 

 a character. Leaving the village a little to our right, a walk of 

 about an hour brought us to the " Falls " bridge, that spans the 

 stream at the lower part of the glen, where we commenced to 

 explore its muscological productions, our intention being, if at 

 all practicable, to examine the stream to its source. In this part 

 the banks — well-wooded, principally with Oak, Ash, and Larch, 

 and sparingly interspersed with Hazel — slope very gradually ; and 

 the stream, the bed of which is apparently made up for the most 

 part of Trap, although not very wild and rugged, is sufficiently 

 rocky to be picturesque, winding along its uneven channel amongst 

 loose rocks and nodules of flint from the chalk, bare and unpro- 

 ductive for the most part, but here and there clothed with a rich 

 vestiture of Hypnum palustre, and its variety subsphcericarpum, 

 Schistidium apocarpum and var. /3, Hypnum rivulare, rusci- 

 folium, and plumosvm. Not much of importance was observed 

 here, but several of the commoner Hypna (such as cuspidatum, 

 filicinum, striatum, and triquetrum) were met with in a desirable 

 state of fructification. Following up the course of the stream, 

 — and noticing on our way Isothecium alopecurum and myurum, 

 Hypnum molluscum and loreum, Mnium rostratum and punctatum, 

 Pogonatum abides and urnigerum, Racomitrium acicidare, Bi- 

 er anum pellncidwn, var. faghnontanum (the normal form of which 

 we did not see), Jungermannia asplenioides, albicans, epiphylla, and 

 reptans, and most of the species of Mosses and Hepaticm com- 

 monly associated with these, — the glen gradually becomes nar- 

 rower, the banks more abrupt and precipitous, and the stream, 

 which a little lower down murmurs quickly along its rocky 

 channel, here rushes on with all the impetuosity of a mountain 

 torrent; now tumbling over the wide ledges of Trappean rocks, 

 across which have fallen old trees, decayed and ivy-bound, re- 

 minding one of the Rhaiadr-y-Wennol in Carnarvonshire ; anon 

 dashing in cascade-like falls down some narrow and steep de- 

 clivity, clinging to the dark sides of which luxuriant fronds of 

 Polvpody and Scolopendrium form a conspicuous feature. In 

 one or two parts crop out portions of the band of cretaceous 

 limestone that may be traced throughout the whole series of 

 hills, but which of course is of quite too dry a nature to be at all 

 favourable to the gi'owth of bryological vegetation. The further 

 we proceed up the stream, the productiveness of the Trap in- 



