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We glean from a modem author the ideas of the 
présent day concerning the humble Moss. * “ Mosses 
are among the smallest of plants with true leaves; 
they are often so minute that the whole specimen, 
leaves, stem, fruit, and ail, would escape the eye if 
it did not grow in patches; and they never, in the 
largest kinds, exceed the height of a few inches. 
Nevertheless, they are organized in a manner far 
more complété than Feras or Club-mosses. Although 
they are destitute of air vessels and breathing pores; 
they are formed upon precisely the same plan as 
flowering plants, as far as the arrangement of their 
organs of végétation.” 
The tissue of Mosses is extremely hygroscopic; 
so much so, that upon being immersed in water, 
even affcer they hâve been dried for centuries, they 
immediately imbibe it, and appear as fresh as ever 
although life remains extinct. 
These little plants may be brought forward as an 
example of what is called the economy of nature. 
When a tree dies, we may observe that it becomes 
mantled with Mosses and Lichens : they attract mois- 
Dr. Lindley. 
