102 Mr. R. Spruce on the Musci and Hepatice of the Pyrenees. 
the stream, yet bearing a few capsules. This is far below the 
commencement of the subalpine zone ; but in continuing to ascend 
the stream, until we emerge on the broken plain adjacent to the 
Lac de Gaube, where the only trees are a few scattered pines 
(i.e. towards the upper limit of the inferalpine zone), we find the 
same species, forming small compact tufts and bearing a profu- 
sion of fruit, growing on the same sort of rock, and often far 
removed from any stream. Here it is obviously at home. 
The localities visited within Z, are for the most part entirely 
destitute of mosses, in consequence of the declivities bemg co- - 
vered with sliding fragments of schistose rock. Two species of 
Hepaticee, Sarcoscyphus emarginatus and Alicularia scalaris, com- 
mon in the plains, ascend in varying forms nearly to the limit of 
perpetual snow, and with Jungermannia julacea form the sole 
representatives of the tribe in Z;. I must also observe, that 
nowhere in the Pyrenees do mosses and lichens ascend higher 
than all flowering-plants. Even above the line of perpetual con- 
gelation, wherever a rock peeps out of the snow (its sides being 
too steep for the snow to rest upon them), Saxifrages, and two or 
three other kinds of plants equally hardy, fix themselves in its 
crevices. This is also the case with lichens, but scarcely with 
real frondose mosses, and I very much doubt whether there be any 
region in the world-(alpine or arctic) where mosses leave below 
them every phanerogamous plant, although we have long been 
taught to believe that such is the case. Ramond found flowers 
to accompany Mont Perdu almost to its summit. | 
I proceed now to exhibit in a tabular form a list of those 
Musci, Hepatice and Lichenes which have appeared to me cha- 
racteristic of the various zones in the Pyrenees. I have consi- 
dered a species characteristic of a particular zone for the follow- 
ing reasons: 1. It is either abundantly distributed in that zone 
throughout the chain, and scarcely seen above or below it; or, 
2. It occurs at various (it may be distant) points of the chain, 
and nowhere abundantly, yet is always confined to one zone; or 
else, 3. It is distributed through several zones, but exists im its 
perfect state only in one. A few species flourish with equal 
luxuriance in two or more zones. Those mentioned for the 
superalpine zone were almost its sole occupants, and most of 
them were sterile. The species united by brackets were fre- 
quently grouped together in one tuft, so as to be taken up at 
once by the hand; or, in the case of crustaceous lichens, occupied 
the surface of one stone. The species printed in italics are con- 
sidered peculiarly characteristic of the zone in which they are 
placed. 
