MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS 7^ 



pressing a mass of this moss in the hand it is 

 even possible to squeeze out some drops of 

 water, a wonderful thing, indeed, when we con- 

 sider how dry everything is around us. 



An examination under the microscope of the 

 Fork Moss would show us that it has been pro- 

 vided with special cells, whose sole business it 

 is to take in and to store water, whenever 

 there should be moisture about. In the case 

 of the Sphagnum Moss it is seen that the same 

 kind of cells are present, although the fact that 

 they are well charged with moisture does not 

 impress us so much as did the condition of the 

 Fork Moss, seeing that the former species 

 always grows in places which are more or less 

 damp. 



Speaking in a general way, mosses, unlike 

 the more familiar type of plants on this earth, 

 depend for their supply of moisture on what 

 they can absorb through their leaves. The 

 fibres, which it has already been pointed out 

 are not real roots, are not specially adapted for 

 the absorption of moisture, although in some 

 cases they may possibly help in this direction. 

 In a general way, we must think of the moss 

 plant as taking ui moisture all over its foUage, 



