NOTE ON THE ANTIQUITY OF SOME SPECIES 

 OF MUSCL 



By 0. P. HoBKiRK, F.L.S. 



Prof. Bayley Balfour, of Glasgow, recently sent to me for deter- 

 mination a small tuft of a moss, whicli possesses very considerable 

 interest to the botanist, the archaeologist, and the geologist alike, and 

 on which, with some others presently to be mentioned, I propose to 

 offer a few notes. 



Dr. Munro, of Kilmarnock, has been exploring one of the old 

 " crannogs," or lake dwellings at Lochlee, near Kilmarnock, and in 

 the course of his investigations has found in it a number of tree 

 trunks of various species, such as oak, elm, birch, &c., and some 

 relics of its human occupation. A full account of his discoveries will 

 be published by Dr. Munro in the Proceedings of the Society of 

 Antiquaries of Scotland. Amongst the other relics found are a 

 number of tufts of the moss just named. This is in a very brittle 

 state, much pressed and matted together, broken and semi-carbonised, 

 but "still sufficiently well preserved for identification. On examination 

 it proves to be Hylocomium splendens. Some fringes and a girdle made 

 of the stems of PolytricJium commune, plaited, were also among the 

 relics. Through the kindness of Dr. Munro I have received specimens 

 of this moss and another for examination. The JPolytricJium is well 

 preserved, and is quite a characteristic specimen, not so much broken 

 as the Hylocomium, but if anything blacker, and more carbonised. It 

 shows, however, distinctly the white margin and teeth of the leaf, 

 which are quite brown under the microscope, as is also the hyaline 

 portion of the base ; and the lamellae of the centre of the leaf may be 

 distinctly recognised. The third moss is almost denuded of leaves, 

 and consequently it is difficult, if not impossible, to recognise it. 

 So far as I have examined it under the microscope I can find only 

 the leaf attachments and the torn bases attached to the stem, which is 

 some five or six inches long, rather rigid, shows signs of having been, 

 more or less branched, and looks at first sight not unlike a number 

 of stems of Hypnum stramineum or admieum. Amongst these stems, 

 in the form almost of " microscopic dust," is a quantity of debris of 

 leaves, &c. On examining these I am disposed to think that many 

 fragments of tips and bases of leaves have belonged to Eurynchium 

 prcelongum, but whether they belong to the stems is doubtful : I 

 scarcely think so. Another longer and narrow fragment looks very 

 like a leaf of a Campylopus, whilst several fragments show distinctly 

 the peculiar cell structure of Sphagnum, the spiral thread being 



