4 MOSSES AND LIVERWOBTS 



themselves personally acquainted with these 

 beautiful children of Nature. I have so often been 

 asked where a simple statement of the facts of 

 moss-life can be found that I am led to think that, 

 notwithstanding the multitude of books on natural- 

 history topics that recent years have called forth, 

 there is even yet an opening for an unpretentious 

 volume having the above objects in view. And 

 I am the more anxious to make the attempt to fill 

 the gap, because I cannot help feeling that the 

 would-be inquirer into this particular region of 

 plant-lore is often discouraged by the unattractive 

 nature of ordinary botanical phraseology, and the 

 scientific nomenclature necessarily used in more 

 advanced works, and that he is in need of some- 

 thing in the nature of stepping-stones to start 

 him on his way. I propose, therefore, as far as 

 possible, to use English names and expressions, 

 while, at the same time, giving the scientific 

 equivalents for the various terms that I shall coin 

 for my purpose. And, after all, this is really only 

 doing at first hand what is constantly done by two 

 steps, for the bulk of non-scientific readers, either 

 consciously or unconsciously, make a mental trans- 

 lation of the technical expressions that they meet 

 with, at all events until they have become so 

 accustomed to them by constant use, that their 

 meaning naturally suggests itself without the 

 need for assistance. 



A few words must be added as to the illustra- 



