351 



MOSS — MUSCUS, 

 And LIVERWORT, LICHEN. 



Linn^us arranged these species of vege- 

 tables in the twenty-fourth class of his arti- 

 ficial System, under the name of Crijpto- 

 gamia, which signifies concealed marriage >s ; 

 and it was intended to comprehend all those 

 plants whose fructification is concealed, or 

 at least too minute to be observed by the 

 naked eye. 



In the Linnsean system mosses are divided 

 into nine genera: viz. Lijcopodium, Porella, 

 Sphagnum, Phascinn, Polytricum, Mnium, Hyp- 

 ?iu?n, Fo?itinalis, and Buxbaumia. As we now 

 reckon more than 360 species of mosses and 

 liverworts, the greater part of which are na- 

 tives of Britain, their particular description 

 must be reserved for a separate volume; but, 

 as many of the mosses are deserving of more 

 general notice than they have hitherto ob- 

 tained, we trust that the few pages we shall 



