A HISTORY OF SURREY 



and Mr. Ferguson Shepherd of Staines have been instrumental in adding 

 largely to the county records. The present writer has also worked for 

 many years at the distribution of species through the eight watershed 



districts. 



The species recorded include several mosses of great interest, chief 

 among them being Buxbaumia aphylla, which formally grew upon mud 

 banks at Virginia Water on the border of the county, the almost equally 

 rare Pbyscomitrium sphcericum, which is abundant on the muddy margin of 

 a pond near Felbridge, and Weisia rostellata, from the mud of a drained 

 pond at Dormansland. Campylopus subulatus is another rare species of 

 recent discovery, of which a single tuft was gathered by the writer in 

 1899 at Addington on dry stony ground. 



Several commoner species are of interest from their occurrence under 

 unusual conditions. Pleurochcete squarrosa, which is most frequently found 

 by the sea, is well established on the steep northern slopes of Box Hill, and 

 Brachythecium megapolitanum, another maritime plant, grows close by ; two 

 other mosses which frequent sub-alpine regions, Bartramia ithyphylla and 

 Rbacomitrium canescens, occur, the former on a soft sandy bank near Dorking 

 and the latter on moory commons and by the side of stony roads. 



Hypnum imponens and H. giganteum are rare species which appear to 

 be becoming better known as new records are multiplying. The former 

 has no doubt been confounded with H. cupressiforme var. ericetorum, which 

 it much resembles ; it grows on most of the larger commons, often in 

 profusion. 



The Sphagna are well represented. S. medium recently made known 

 to us as a British species is abundant on Pirbright Common ; 5. molle from 

 the same locality is perhaps our rarest bog moss, although S.fimbriatum 

 has so far been recorded from only one locality. S. Girgensohnii has not 

 yet been reported, but it is not unlikely to occur in one of the more 

 elevated bogs. 



Instead of a single list enumerating all the species found in the 

 county, the most interesting or characteristic mosses recorded in each 

 watershed division are given, with, in the case of rarities, a reference to 

 the localities. 



1 . BLACKWATER. The smallest division, forming the extreme north- 

 west of the county. The greater part is composed of Bagshot Sand with 

 a small area of chalk at the base. The hills forming the eastern boundary 

 are covered with heather and pine woods, and with a few bogs at the base. 



Aulacomnion androgynum, Schwgr. ; Bartramia pomiformis, Hedw. ; Philonotis fontana, Brid. ; 

 Brachythecium albicans, B. & S. ; Hypnum cordifolium, Hedw. 



2. UPPER WEY. The southern slopes of the chalk downs form the 

 north border of this district, and a broken ridge of high hills of Lower 

 Greensand forming the highest land in the county lies about halfway 

 between them and the Sussex border. To the south of this ridge extends 

 the Weald Clay characterized by oak woods and plantations. In the west 

 are large commons with numerous ponds, bogs and alder swamps. 



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