230 PEARLS AND PEBBLES. 



decay, they leave to their successors a sandy soil, part 

 of which has been won from the hard rock on which 

 they had found an abiding-place, their tiny, wedge-like 

 roots having forced apart the surface of the limestone 

 or gneiss rock, taking to themselves minute particles of 

 the sterner material, thus forcing its strength to yield to 

 their weakness. This is another proof of the wisdom of 

 the Almighty God, who " willeth the weak things of the 

 world and those that have no power to overcome the 

 strong, and the base things of the world and the things 

 that are despised hath He chosen to bring to nought 

 things that are." 



Look now at this beautiful Feather Moss {Hypnum, 

 tamariscinum). Each frond is like a green plume, 

 hence its descriptive name. Like Hypnum splendens 

 it seems to be perennial, as may be inferred from the 

 rather wiry stem bearing many divisions in the form of 

 branchlets. 



The plants of the first year's growth are single fronds, 

 not branched, and it is the older and more matured 

 that bear the long slender fruit-stalk and fine capsules 

 containing the seed. There are seldom more than two 

 to each of the lower pairs of leafy divisions. This 

 species increases more by roots than by seed, as is the 

 case with many of the larger mosses, and retains its 

 color well when pressed and mounted in the herbarium. 



I consider the most satisfactory method of preserving 

 the mosses is to wash them thoroughly, no matter how 



