PREFACE 



The object of this book is to present mosses in a 

 simple, non-technical way, so that the student may 

 recognize at least their genera and in some cases their 

 species without depending upon the use of a lens. The 

 books on mosses that have been published up to the 

 present time have required the use of a hand-lens or 

 microscope in order to follow either the Keys or the 

 descriptions. Wonderful and interesting detail in 

 structure is revealed by this higher method of study, 

 but mosses would remain unknown to many if no 

 simpler and quicker way of learning them was pre- 

 sented. 



When urged to undertake the work of thus simplify- 

 ing the study of mosses, the author, together with most 

 moss students, held the idea that microscopic examina- 

 tion was necessary in order to know mosses. It was 

 pointed out that, while a thorough knowledge of the 

 different species must be obtained from microscopic 

 study and technical books, the people who are content 

 to recognize violets, asters, and goldenrods, without 

 knowing the specific names, would be equally inter- 

 ested to know the generic names of mosses. A Key only 

 to the genera of mosses, therefore, seemed perfectly 

 feasible, as in nearly every case there is some family or 



