— 40 — 
The book is of interest chiefly for two reasons: First, it has the modern 
nature study idea in all its fullness. In the preface he states, “Were the 
youthful mind more generally directed to natural objects, and to the wonder- 
ful operatio'ns continually going on around us, and taught to seek entertain- 
ment and instruction in them, rather than in matters of a frivolous or vicious 
tendency, it is impossible to say to what extent this might be conducive to 
the future advancement and well being of human society.” The chief unfav- 
orable criticism seems to be that he preaches too directly as when he says 
in his introduction, “ God made the little moss as well as the glowing flower 
and lofty tree, and has made nothing in vain.” Although such sermons are 
frequent they are free from cant and do not seem as incongruous as they 
•would in a modern book of nature study. 
The second point of interest is that the book is illustrated with actual 
specimens instead of engravings, and these are inserted in an exquisite 
manner. One can still see the peristome with the naked eye on the capsule 
which is pasted in to illustrate the “peristome;” for the book has a short 
introductory lesson on structure illustrated with specimens. It is noticeable 
that instead of taking up twenty of the most common mosses and describing 
them he selects twenty illustrating pretty nearly all of the families of 
mosses as then recognized, and does not always take the most common or 
easily accessible, as when he uses Polytrichmn ( Pogonatum ) urnigerum 
to illustrate the hair-caps, and Weissia nigrita ( Catoscopium nigritum ) to 
illustrate, the Weissias. 
When writing of mosses closely related to those illustrated he does not 
usually tell how to distinguish them, but merely mentions their occurrence 
and sometimes where he has collected them. This is not because of inability 
for he makes these distinctions in an admirable manner when writing of variety 
and species and illustrating these terms. The book (of about fifty pages 4x7 
inches) was evidently well received for Mr. Sherwood’s copy is of the third 
edition. This notice is written to call attention to one of the early attempts 
at nature study methods in the field of Bryology, which is well worth the con- 
sideration of any student of the development of educational ideas and ideals. 
A NOTE. 
Mr. J. F. Collins, of Brown University, calls my attention to a misstate- 
ment in my article on Vermont Mosses in the January Bryologist, where I 
state, page 7, that “ Heterocladium squarrosulum has not before been 
reported from the eastern United States except Mt. Washington.” It is 
reported from Massachusetts in Hitchcock’s report of the Geology, Botany, 
etc., of Massachusetts (1833), page 640, and inTuckerman & Frost’s Amherst 
Catalogue (1875), and in Cobb’s List of Plants near Amherst (1887). The 
last two are undoubtedly based on Frost’s specimen collected in Brattleboro, 
Vt., in 1853, which specimen I have examined through the courtesy of Prof. 
L. R. Jones, of the University of Vermont. It is not H. squarrosulum at 
all but an entirely different moss, but on the margin is pencilled, “ First col- 
lected in this country by me. C. C. F.” The 1833 report still remains to be 
verified or disproved. A. J. Grout. 
