H INTRODUCTION. 



Upon firm and philosophic grounds. He has been ably 

 seconded by more recent authors, especially Swartz and 

 JVlohr, and his own pupil Schwaegrichen ; but perhaps 

 by none so effectually as Bridel, whose work upon the 

 mosses, though full of errors as to species and synonyms, 

 contains a history of the science, and a review of what- 

 soever is connected with it, at once admirable and un- 

 rivalled. To him therefore we refer our readers for in- 

 formation on this head, the nature of our undertaking 

 precluding us from touching upon it as we could wish, 

 and our intention in this preface being little more than 

 briefly to state what may be expected in our work. 



No country perhaps of similar extent is more favour- 

 able to the growth of mosses than the British isles^ 

 where there is so great a variety of soil, and no incon- 

 siderable difference in the climate between the plains 

 and the summits of our highest hills. Our woods, mo- 

 rasses, rocks, and shaded banks afford nourishment to a 

 variety of species, and our mountains, though of small 

 elevation when compared to the Alps of Switzerland 

 and Savoy, yet on account of their northern latitude, 

 and of their rising nearly to the limits of perpetual 

 snow, produce most of the mosses of those highly-fa- 

 voured regions. In so few parts of Europe has the 

 Muscology of the country been fully investigated, that 

 we cannot fairly draw a comparison between this de- 

 partment of the Flora of any district and our own. In 

 France, including the vast extent of the Alps and Py- 

 rennees, M. De Candolle has enumerated 227 species. 

 Germany, according toMohr, possesses above 280; and 

 Lapland, by Wahlenberg's statement, 160 species. We 

 estimate our number at less than 260. But it must be 

 remembered that all the&e authors, not even excepting 



