MOSSES 9 



to see for themselves what I shall attempt to 

 describe ; occasionally, however, I shall be obliged 

 to go somewhat farther afield. Let us now inquire 

 a little more fully as to the 



Habitats of Mosses. " Where should we look 

 for mosses ? " is a question that naturally soon 

 suggests itself. "Why, almost everywhere," I 

 should reply ; even in the near neighbourhood of 

 the smoky town some few of the more hardy kinds 

 will find a foothold, and these will be some of the 

 last vestiges left behind by the country, as it 

 recedes ever farther and farther away before the 

 all too steady growth of our large cities. But if 

 we would see moss-life in full perfection we 

 must visit the haunts where Nature still holds 

 undisputed sway, and roam among the woods and 

 lanes, the heaths and moorlands, the hills and 

 dales, far from our busy hives of industry. 



Although most mosses are very cosmopolitan in 

 their choice of an abode, and may be found in very 

 various localities and positions, yet many have a 

 more or less decided preference for some particular 

 environment, while others, again, are still more 

 closely restricted, either as to the nature of the 

 soil, or the kind of place in which they grow ; it 

 is therefore always desirable to note carefully 

 where and under what circumstances and surround- 

 ings a specimen has been gathered, as these facts 

 may constitute important aids to its identification. 

 Let us glance at some of the conditions under which 



