THE TRAILING LYCOPODIUMS. 85 



" buck grass," and "wolf's claw," all of which doubtless 

 have reference to the manner in which the branches grow. 

 In Cornwall it is known as " good-luck." Other names 

 applied to it in various localities are " coral evergreen," 

 " running-moss," " snake-moss," " toad-tail," and " lamb's- 

 tail." The plant has strong astringent properties, and 

 was once used in medicine. In Sweden the stems are 

 woven into doormats and the plant is known as " matte- 

 grass." It seems to have been the custom for holiday 

 parties in the Old World to trim their hats with the 

 stems of the club-moss. The Swedes especially are men- 

 tioned in this connection, and Wordsworth alluded to 

 the custom in the following lines: 



" Or with that plant which in our dale 

 We call stag's-horn or fox's-tail 

 Their rusty hats they trim. 

 And thus as happy as the day 

 These shepherds wear the time away." 



This species is one of the most widely distributed of 

 its genus. It is common in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic 

 regions of both Hemispheres, and has also been reported 

 from tropical America, Brazil, Cape of Good Hope, Mad- 

 agascar, India, Java, New Guinea, the Hawaiian Islands, 

 and eastern Asia. As might be expected, there is con- 

 siderable difference in the appearance of specimens from 

 the extremes of its range, and it is a question whether 

 they are all varieties of one species or a series of closel}* 

 related species. Many, of course, have been described 

 as separate species. The author has collected specimens 

 in the American tropics, which are almost exactly like 

 our common form except that they are more luxuriant 

 and have longer peduncles. In North America it ranges 

 from the Arctic Circle southward to Oregon, Iowa, 



