340 MOSS-HOUSES. [chap. x. 
only the crest of the family, or the initials of 
the designer’s name in white or colours, and 
the ceiling and floor in arabesque. 
In all cases the outside of the roof is thatched 
or covered with shingles; and the outside of 
the walls is either boarded or covered w T ith 
a thick coating of moss. Where the house 
is large, or if there are glass windows, it is 
best to have the frame-work made by a 
regular carpenter; but where the moss- 
house is small, and open in front, it may be 
put up by the gardener, or any intelligent 
servant. In many cases, the roof is finished 
with a circle of pine-cones fixed round it as 
a cornice; and the floor is either laid with 
other pine-cones, or with small pebbles, some 
of which are white and are arranged in a kind 
of pattern; the windows are frequently of 
coloured glass; and a curious effect might 
be produced by having those in the back of 
the building purple, which would make the 
ground and every object seen through them 
look as if covered with snow; and those in 
front of the building filled with yellow glass, 
which gives every object the rich glow of 
summer. 
