APPLIANCES AND MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR 

 THE STUDY. 



BEFORE beginning to collect, certain aids are required : 

 these are few and simple. First, a bag or satchel of some 

 kind for stowing away specimens as they are gathered. 

 One of the canvas bags with a strap to sling over the 

 shoulder, such as are now offered from a shilling upwards, 

 will be serviceable and sufficient. Some pieces of good 

 strong newspaper six to nine inches square will be required 

 to wrap up each specimen separately as gathered. These 

 papers should be numbered previous to starting out, using 

 ink rather than pencil, for the mosses will often be wet, 

 and pencil marks are then easily obliterated. In order to 

 keep the tufts of moss clean and distinct too many should 

 not be put into one paper. When the paper is filled and 

 folded, the number of the package should be entered in the 

 collector's notebook, with remarks as to habitat, locality, 

 and date. Such, for instance, as this : " No. i. Marly 

 bank, Tythall Lane, near Solihull. Formation, keuper marl. 

 Feb. gth, 1878." And such other particulars as it may be 

 well to remember. 



And here I may observe that at first it would be advis- 

 able to collect those mosses only which have their fruit 

 fully matured, and then, when these have been carefully 

 examined and their distinguishing characters mastered, 

 barren specimens may be collected ; for many of our rarest 

 British mosses are more frequently found barren than fruit- 

 ing, and they must not, of course, be neglected. As soon 

 as home is reached, each of the packages should be opened, 

 and, if time serves, roughly examined. If not, they should 

 be placed in the opened papers on the floor of a room 

 where they will be undisturbed, and allowed to get 



