BOTANY 



1900, including about 50 species. The writer is greatly indebted to the 

 above-named gentlemen for their assistance, as well as to Mr. H. D. 

 Geldart, Mr. Clement Reid and others for help given in various ways. 



It will readily be understood from the foregoing that our knowledge 

 of the bryology of the county is sadly incomplete. In the early part of 

 the century the galaxy of scientific names that brought Norfolk, botani- 

 cally speaking, into the forefront of the English counties included several 

 bryologists of great ability and repute, among whom may be named Sir 

 W. J. Hooker, Sir J. E. Smith, Dickson, Dawson Turner, T. Palgrave, 

 Rev. G. R. Leathes and F. K. Eagle. And it is probable that at that 

 time scarcely any English county had had its mosses more carefully 

 studied. During the time that has since elapsed the study of bryology 

 has made immense advances, owing to the labours especially of W. 

 Wilson in this country, and of Schimper, Lindberg and many others on 

 the continent. Unhappily the study in our county has not only failed 

 to keep pace with this advance, but has been absolutely at a standstill, 

 and now it must be confessed that there are few counties about which 

 our recent bryological information is so inadequate. 



The collections lately made and referred to above have, it is true, 

 added considerably to our knowledge, but it is obvious that rapidly made 

 gatherings by independent workers must result in much duplication of 

 records, and the number of species thus recorded for a district will always 

 be inconsiderable in proportion to the number of specimens obtained, 

 when compared with what may be done by systematic observation by 

 even a single resident worker acquainted with what has been already 

 accomplished by previous botanists. 



The total number of species known from Norfolk, when all the 

 above sources are collated, amounts to about 170, a very inadequate list 

 when the variety of surface of the county and the natural advantages 

 afforded by its physiography are taken into account. It is true that the 

 atmospheric humidity, so favourable to moss-life, which is found in the 

 more mountainous western districts is here wanting ; and the entire 

 absence of anything like hard rock naturally exposed prevents the 

 occurrence of a large number of species ; but in spite of these disadvan- 

 tages the district is one that might be expected to yield a good number 

 of mosses. The long stretches of sand by the coast, the numerous 

 Sphagnum bogs, the extensive sandy heaths, the marshy lands by the 

 broads, the strip of fenland on the west, are all habitats favourable to 

 moss-life ; and it may confidently be predicted that systematic investiga- 

 tion would not only add considerably to our present list, but would bring 

 Norfolk well into the foremost rank of at least the lowland counties of 

 England. 



It is a noteworthy fact that several of our British mosses were first 

 recorded in Norfolk, the most interesting instance of the kind being that 

 of Buxbaumia aphylla. This extraordinary moss, which seems to run 

 counter to every rule of the economy of moss-life, was first discovered in 

 a fir plantation at Sprowston near Norwich, by Sir W. J. Hooker, in 



63 



