140 ETON NATUEE-STUDY 



as to be the chief form of vegetation, and is practically the only moss 

 which has any economic value. 



Mosses, like many other low forms of life, can undergo prolonged 

 drying up without harm. The student may be recommended to 

 prove for himself this fact with different kinds of moss, and especially 

 note the condition and position of the leaves in the wet and dry 

 state. 



The allied liver-worts (see figure 242) might also be studied. 



FERNS 



Ferns are perhaps the best known of all flowerless plants, usually 

 hiding away in moist and shady places as if they realised that their 

 day was done and that they could never revive the ancient glories 



FIGURE 243. A Fern prothallus. 



of the carboniferous epoch when, as has been pointed out, they and 

 their allies were the dominant group in the vegetable world. 



Fern hunting is a delightful pastime, since it takes us into the 



