76 HANDBOOK OF MOSSES. 



some of the rarest species reward the more adventurous 

 botanist ; and it is in such unfrequented places in our own 

 country, as amid the mountain districts of northern Scot- 

 land, that we may " hold converse with Nature, and view 

 her stores unrolled." The lively green of more temperate 

 climes is nowhere visible among the far and wide-spreading 

 mosses of the Arctic northern region, yet among them are 

 found scattered species which far excel those of milder 

 climates in beauty, as Splachnum luteum and S. rubrum, 

 Bryum arcticum and Catoscopium. As we proceed southward, 

 new species are added to our list, the trees lose their lichens 

 and often support mosses. Still the Sphagnum swamps are 

 a noticeable feature. In addition to the species mentioned, 

 we may also find Splachnum Wormskjoldii, Encalypta 

 procera, Mnium cinclidioides, M. hymenophyllum, Aula- 

 comnion turgidum, and quite a host of Hypna Brya, 

 Andreaei and Dicrana, which are confined to the northern 

 zone. 



The middle zone, as it embraces the greatest extent of 

 country and the most varied surface, is also richest in 

 species ; many of these pass over the northern and southern 

 boundaries into the corresponding zones. More than 600 

 species have been recorded from this zone, and many of 

 them characteristic of it, such as Ephemerum tenerum, Ephe- 

 merella recurva, Ancecantgium Hornschuchianum, Tetro- 

 dontium repandum, Encalypta longicolla, E. apophysata, etc. 



The southern zone, having a more elevated temperature, 

 and wanting the dense forests of Central Europe, is less 

 adapted to the growth of mosses, and the list falls to 340 

 species. Yet the Pyrenees and Apennines have a rich 

 moss flora, and some species are peculiar to the Mediter- 

 ranean area, such as Phascum carniolicum, Fissidens rivularis, 

 F. grandifrons^ and a number of Trichostomacea ; some of 

 which creep up the Atlantic coast of France, and extend 

 over the south of Ireland and south-west of England, and 

 thus become rarities in the British flora, such as Tortula 

 Vahliana^ Trichostomum flavo-virens, Bryum Tozeri, and 

 others. 



Besides this superficial distribution, another still more 



