BOTANY 
of Norway one may see at their best mosses that seem only just able 
to maintain a foothold in our British hills. The moss-flora of the 
British Islands is not exclusively of a northern type, but has also affinities 
with that of more genial climes, species which may be called Mediter- 
ranean occurring here and there in our islands, especially, as might be 
expected, at their southern and western extremities, and in the mild 
districts of the west of Cumberland we occasionally come across mosses 
that are usually associated with the southern types. 
This is also the case with the Hepatice, and if the reader has the 
opportunity of referring to Mr. W. H. Pearson’s splendid work upon the 
Hepatice of the British Isles he will see (under Lejeunez especially) that 
several of the species which are commonly found in the south of Ireland 
have also been observed at Lodore, where in addition to humidity and 
mildness of climate there exists another essential of a rich moss-vegetation, 
viz. shelter. It is in such places as Lodore, sheltered from strong winds, 
that mosses and Hepatice are found in the greatest luxuriance all the 
world over.’ 
There may be some real affinity between the causes which produced 
the peculiar moss-flora of the south of Ireland and, in its degree, that of 
Lodore. The matter is one of great interest whether from a geological 
or botanical point of view, and the student of the mosses of Cumberland 
will not fail to keep it in mind. 
The essentials of atmospheric humidity, mildness and elevation 
being prevalent in a considerable portion of Cumberland, one is prepared 
to expect a long list of county records. The writer however is not 
aware of one having been published ; and, labouring under the disadvan- 
tage of not living in the county, he does not feel that he has sufficient 
data to hand to warrant his attempting to compile a complete list. 
What the student of our mosses most wants to know is the occurrence 
of rare and interesting species. Some that would be thus designated have 
been found by the writer in Cumberland, and he is also aware of interesting 
finds having been made by other bryologists. He therefore proposes to 
enumerate these. There must of necessity be many omissions due to 
the difficulty stated above, but enough will be recorded to show that 
Cumberland must rank high amongst the counties of England for wealth 
of mosses, and enough omitted to stimulate future observers to fill up gaps 
in the list of rare species. 
Sphagnacee. In the present transition stage through which the 
determination of these mosses appears to be passing, it might be hazardous 
for any but an expert to enumerate varieties. It must suffice then to 
remark that the county is rich in Sphagna, especially in that portion 
which lies to the north of Wigton and borders on the Solway. Indeed 
there are probably few districts in England in which a greater wealth of 
these mosses is to be found. The extensive peat bogs in the region 
1 For further remarks both on the occurrence of some southern types of mosses in our British 
Islands, and on that of shelter as a condition of luxuriance in moss-vegetation, the reader might consult 
two very interesting articles by the late Dr. Spruce in the Fournal of Botany, February and March, 1887. 
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