6 9 



MOSSES OF THE MERSEY PROVINCE. 



J. A. WHELDON, 



Liverpool. 



As efforts are now being" made to work out the distribution 

 of British Mosses on similar lines to those adopted for Phanero- 

 gamic plants, it is incumbent upon all local botanists who are 

 interested in this section of our flora, to render such assistance 

 as lies in their power. 



Considerable portions of the Mersey Province have been 

 worked with some degree of completeness, and therefore it is 

 possible to compare the lists of species reported from each of 

 the three vice-counties comprised within its limits, viz., Cheshire, 

 and South and West Lancashire. By means of such a com- 

 parison, we may be able to indicate the probable occurrence of 

 some species in portions of the province from which they are 

 hitherto unrecorded; and it is hoped the lists here given will be 

 of some service to busy field botanists, by directing their search 

 for missing - links in the chain of species. Many of these un- 

 recorded species will no doubt ultimately be found ; some, 

 indeed, may have been already noticed by collectors, who have 

 perhaps thought them unworthy of public record. 



In preparing statistics of plants, the 'species' difficulty crops 

 up at once. This may be overcome sufficiently for my present 

 purpose, by considering species and sub-species as of equal value, 

 and treating varieties separately. It must be remembered, 

 therefore, in comparing the following tables with lists from other 

 areas, that the term 'species' comprises many forms looked 

 upon by some botanists as of only subordinate rank, but which 

 are nevertheless differentiated to a higher degree than occurs in 

 the lower categories of ' varieties ' and 'forms.' 



The following table indicates the number of species and 

 varieties recorded for the whole province, and also for its three 

 main sub-divisions. 



District. 



Species. 



Varieties. 



Total. 



58. 



Cheshire 



269 



47 





59- 



South Lancashire ... 



260 





3-5 



60. 



West Lancashire ... 



260 



84 



344 



Mersey Province ... 



345 



•-3 



468 



1900 March z. 



