Part II. 



SCmSTOSTEGA. 



323 



SCHISTOSTEGA F:EiNNATA.— Iridescent Moss. " 



Mosses are small, but this is so very small that it virould hardly 

 be noticed by the naked eye were itnot for the iridescent gleams 

 of beautiful colour which it displays when viewed in positions 

 where it flourishes. It is no exaggeration to state that some of 

 the stones and sods on which it grows look as if sown with a 

 mixture of gold and the material that goes to form the wings of 

 green humming birds. It is almost startling to see this little 

 gem for the first time, no '' plant " being visible to the casual 

 visitor, who wonders what produces the exquisite colour. It 

 was supposed to require a particular kind of rock on which to 

 grow ; but I have been lately much pleased to see its wonderful 

 coruscations spread over sods of turf and masses of peat, quite 

 as well as on the chips of rock brought from its native place. 

 Messrs. Stansfield have it in beautiful condition among the 

 rocks in their cool fernery at Todmorden, and Messrs. Back- 

 house have it in perfection both in the open air, in a quiet, deep 

 gorge of rocks, where it obtains sufficient moisture without being 

 washed by rains, and also in their underground fernery, con- 

 structed for the rarer filmy ferns, which proves that there is no 

 insurmountable difficulty in establishing it in like positions ; and 

 certainly the most graceful dwarf or biggest tree fern is not 

 capable of adding to them a more decided charm than this most 

 diminutive moss. 



