or five inches high, covered with whitish pointed scales. Leaves serrated. Fruit-stalks shorter than the branches, bent. Capsules egg-shaped. Lid beak bent. Leers. Stems light red, rising from a trailing root. Leaves broad at the base, tapering to a point, alternate. Involucrum scales ending in hairs, compact. Dill.

(FOX-TAIL FEATHER-MOSS. E.) Moist woods and shady places at the roots of trees, and by the sides of rivers. A. March-April.

F. (1) Shoots nearly cylindrical: capsules upright.

H. GRACILE. Shoots creeping: branches cylindrical, nearly upright: capsules egg-shaped.

Hedw. Stirp. iv. 6—(E. Bot. 1085-Musc. Brit. xiv. E.)-Dill. 41. 55Fl. Dan. 649. 2.

Hangs suspended from the bark of trees in numerous cylindrical-pointed branches bending upwards, and somewhat resembling the claw of a bird. Fruit-stalks from the base of the branches, half an inch high. Capsules upright, pointed, ochrey colour when ripe. Dill.

(SLENDER FEATHER-MOSS. H. gracile. Linn. H. ornithopoides. Huds. Pterogonium gracile. Sw. Sm. Hook. Pterigynandrum gracile. Hedw. Trunks of trees and rocks. On beech trees in Enfield Chase. On the masses of stone called Grey Wethers, in Wiltshire. Forms great patches on rocks or trees, in subalpine countries frequent, but the fructification has rarely been observed in Britain, though common in France and Italy. P. Feb.-April.

H. ATTENUATUM.

Shoots branched: branches bowed in, sometimes tapering, sometimes thickening: leaves egg-shaped, pointing one way: capsules upright, tooth fringed. Dicks. ii. 13.

Hedw. Stirp. i. 12—(E. Bot. 2420. E.)—Dill. 42. 66. Fruit-stalks upright, lateral. Veil slender, twisting. Capsules cylindrical. Beak blunt. Fringe double, outer row of teeth sixteen. Hedw. Rather thick, much branched, yellow green, tawny when dry. In large patches on the trunks of beeches, particularly on the northern side. Dill. (ATTENUATED FEATHER-MOSS. With this species Hooker and Taylor assimilate H. atro-virens. Dicks. Sm. and H. filamentosum, of the same authors. E.) Woods, on trunks of trees, Scotland.

H. STRAMINEUM. Shoots upright, thread-shaped, somewhat branched: leaves egg-spear-shaped, without a mid-rib, tiled. Dicks. 6. Dicks. H. S. and Fasc. i. 9-(E. Bot. 2405-Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.) Shoots nearly upright, strap-shaped, slender, when dry very brittle, o inches and more in length, straw-coloured, sometimes simple, or with one or two branches. Leaves convex and concave, glittering, pressed to. Fruit-stalks lateral, upright, red, one and sometimes two inches long, solitary or two together. Capsules egg-shaped, upright, bulging on one side. Lid short, somewhat pointed. Dicks.

(STRAW-LIKE FEATHER-MOSS. E.) In a marshy place on the west side of Hampstead Heath, near London. (Near Yarmouth. Mr. Turner. Abundant on Breadalbane mountains. Mr. Drummond. Musc. Brit. E.) (Nearly allied to the preceding, and by some Botanists considered a variety of that species, is H. trifarium. Grev. Scot. Crypt. 279. therein charac

terized, "Stems nearly simple, elongated; leaves ovate, obtuse, entire, trifariously imbricated, suberect, tumid and concave, with a nerve disappearing towards the extremity." Stems slender, three inches to a foot or more in length, varying in colour from a rich brownish-purple to green. (Vid. also Musc. Brit. iv. Found by Dr. Greville on Ben Hallum and Ben Lawers. E.)

H. CYLINDRICUM. Shoots creeping: branches and capsules cylindrical: leaves closely tiled, egg-shaped, pointed. Dicks. ii. 12.

(E. Bot. 2297-Musc. Brit. xiv. E.)-Dill. 41. 57.

Shoots (on the ground) sometimes branched, soft, shining, pale green or yellowish. Leaves narrow, not hairy, pressed to. Fruit-stalks reddish, one third of an inch long. Capsules upright, slender, cylindrical. Lids pointed. Dill.

(CYLINDRICAL FEATHER-MOSS. Pterogonium filiforme. Hedw. Sm. Hook. Also, according to Musc. Brit. Pterogonium caespitosum. E. Bot. 2526. E.) Woods, on the trunks of trees, Scotland. (On Ben Lawers, common. In Ireland. Arnott and Greville. E.)

F. (2) Shoots nearly cylindrical: capsules leaning.

H. RIPA'RIUM. Shoots branched: leaves pointed, open, distant. (E. Bot. 2060-Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.)~Dill. 40. 44-Hedw. Stirp. iv. 3— Fl. Dan. 649. 1-Schmid. 57. 3—Buxb. ii. 3. 3.

Stem four to six inches long. Shoots few and irregular, cylindrical if above, winged if below the surface of the water. Leaves egg-shaped, closely tiled on the young cylindrical shoots, more distant and spear-shaped on the principal stem, and hairy at the end. Fruit-stalks an inch long, upright, lateral. Capsules egg-shaped. Lid conical, beak short. Mouth fringed. Veil upright, covering the young capsule. Involucrum very short. Weis. When growing out of the water, or where it is often exposed to the air, the leaves are shorter and blunter, surrounding the stem, but when always immersed in water they are longer, more pointed, and wing the stems. Dill.

(SHORT-BEAKED WATER FEATHER-MOSS. E.) On walls, and moist stony places on the banks of rivers, on planks and stones about water mills, and in rivers. Bungay. Mr. Stone. (Garden wall at Tocknels, near Painswick. Mr. Oade Roberts. E.) P. Sept.-April.

H. MURA'LE. Shoots creeping: branches mostly upright, in one direction: leaves egg-shaped, concave. Dicks.

Hedw. Stirp. iv. 30-(Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.)—Dill. 41. 52.

About an inch long, branches very short, mostly upright. Leaves numerous, dark green, not shining. Dill. Fruit-stalks from the base of the branches. Leaves ribless. (The authors of Musc. Brit. observe: the rostrate lid, and concave shortly-pointed leaves well distinguish this species from its affinities. E.)

(WALL FEATHER-MOSS. E.) H. myosuroides y. Huds. and With. Ed. ii., (also H.confertum. E. Bot. 1038, according to Musc. Brit. E.) On Dec.-Jan.

walls.

H. MOLLE. Shoots pendent, slender, very much branched: leaves tiled, egg-shaped, acute: capsules roundish. Dicks. ii. 11.

(Grev. Scot. Crypt. 283-E. Bot. 1992-Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.)—Dicks. 5. 8. Whole plant soft, flaccid, and flexile. Shoots bundled, floating, roundish, somewhat zigzag. Branches of very unequal lengths, the ends mostly blunted. Leaves upright, concave at the base, open at the end, broadegg-shaped. Scaly bulb, leaves spear-shaped, taper-pointed. Fruitstalks few, short, bowed in. Fringe with a ring, with many teeth. Lid and veil not found. Dicks. (Usually two or three inches in length. E.) (SOFT FEATHER-MOSS. E.) Banks of rivulets in the Highlands of Scotland.

H. CUSPIDA TUM. Shoots spreading, winged with branches, ending in a long point: leaves oblong, taper-pointed: capsules cylindrical: lid conical.

Dicks. H. S.-E. Bot. 2407-Musc. Brit. xxvi. E.)—Dill. 39. 34-Buxb. ii. 3. 1 and 2.

The sharp rigid points at the ends of the middle and terminal shoots afford a ready mark of distinction. From one to four inches high. Fruit-stalks two or three inches long, upright, lateral. Involucrum scaly, long. Capsules egg-shaped, thick, a little bent, leaning. Lid blunt, short, scarlet. Mouth fringed. Weis. Pale green, yellowish or reddish when in fruit. Leaves alternate, thin, pellucid, shining. Dill.

(POINTED BOG FEATHER-MOSS. E.) Bogs, marshes, wet pastures and P. March-May.

moist woods.

H. FILIFOLIUM.

Shoots spreading: branches numerous very short: leaves awl-shaped, acute: capsules oblong: lid conical, blunt.

Dill. 42. 62.

Forming a compact interwoven tuft. Much branched; branches slender. Leaves very narrow, smooth, resplendent green, when dry pressed to, standing out when fresh. Fruit-stalks half an inch high, very slender, reddish. Capsules slender, at first upright, afterwards leaning a little, and again upright when ripe. Involucrum slender, hairy. Dill. (THREAD-LEAVED FEATHER-MOSS. E.) H. filiforme. Huds. and With Ed. ii. Trunks of trees.

P. Feb.

H. FILAMENTO'SUM. Shoots crowded, thread-shaped, branched capsules egg-shaped, fringed: involucrum buld-like. Dicks. ii. 11.

Dill. 36. 18.

Crowded, compressed, closely interwoven, so that it is hardly possible to extricate a single plant. Shoots and branches cylindrical, not thicker than a strong sewing thread. Fruit-stalks purple, an inch long. Capsules slender, straight reddish and bent when ripe. Involucrum oblong, large, composed of unequal scales. Dill.

(THREAD-BRANCHED YELLOW FEATHER-MOSS. The same as H.atro-virens, according to Musc. Brit. Woods; trees and rocks among mountains.

F. (3) Shoots nearly cylindrical: capsules drooping.

H. PU'RUM. Shoots winged, spreading, awl-shaped : leaves egg-shaped, blunt, approaching.

Curt. 207-(E. Bot. 1599-Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.)-Fl. Dan. 706. 2—Dill. 40. 45-Vaill. 28. 3.

Branches bowed. Leaves ending in a spit-point. Neck. Readily known by

its peculiar sleek habit, by its freedom from dirt, and its long, cylindrical winged scaly shoots. A span long in wet, but shorter in dryer places. Fruit-stalks one to two inches high, from the mid-rib of the shoots and branches; upright shining. Involucrum oblong, scaly. Capsules cylindrical, leaning. Lid beaked. Mouth fringed. Weis. Stems nearly cydrical, upright or reclining; often branched. Branches winged. Leaves blunt, thin, soft, smooth, rather shining, when dry crumpled. Dill. (SPOTLESS SILKY FEATHER-MOSS. E.) Pastures, meadows, banks, and woods. P. Nov. (Var. Shorter; less regularly pinnate. E. Bot. 2189. H. illecebrum. With. Ed. 7. Sm.; but not of Hedwig, his species (having leaves with more acuminated and serrated points, and with a longer and more decided nerve), being American, and not British, unless recently discovered in Scotland, as reported by Mr. Arnott. Hook. E.)

(H. SCHRE BERI.

Leaves closely imbricated, nearly erect, elliptical, apiculate, concave, entire, faintly two-nerved at the base: capsule ovate, cernuous: lid conical. E.)

(E. Bot. 1621-Musc. Brit. xxiv. E.)-Dill. 40. 47-Vaill. 29. 10-Neck. Meth. 1. 10-Buxb. iv. 64. 1, the right hand of the upper figures; and 3. Longer and more slender than the preceding, branches and leaves more pointed, more shining when dry, more thinly set, and exposing more distinctly the red mid-rib. Dill.

(SCHREBERIAN FEATHER-MOSS. H. purum. Ehrh. Var. 2. With. to Ed. 7. H. Schreberi. Dicks. Sm. Willd. Hook. H. muticum. Dill. Sw. Woods and banks, among bushes. E.)

H. CURTIPENDULUM. Shoots upright, branched, leafy: leaves oblongegg-shaped, acute, tiled: capsules egg-shaped: lid tapering to a point.

Dicks. H. S.-(E. Bot. 1444-Musc. Brit. xxii. E.)—Dill. 43. 69. From two to four inches or more in length. Wide spreading, much branched, rigid. Leaves ending in a sharp hair-like point, closely tiled, broader and more dense at the ends of the shoots, so as to give them a blunt club-like appearance. Fruit-stalks hardly half an inch long, mostly two together, upright. Capsules cylindrical at first, and upright; when ripe egg-shaped and pendent. Lid short, beaked. Involucrum rising nearly up a third of the fruit-stalk. Weis. Recumbent, matted together. Sboots thick, rigid, irregularly branched. Leaves green, numerous. Involucrum long, pointed. Capsules yellowish. Dill. (PENDULOUS FEATHER-MOSS. Neckera curtipendula. Hedw. Turn. Sm. Anomodon curtipendulum. Hook. Purt. Musc. Brit. E.) On the trunks of beeches, in woods. On stumps in Enfield Forest, near Southgate, and in Yorkshire. On large stones on the Marlborough Downs, Wiltshire; and on the rocks of Snowdon. Dillenius. (Mr. Tozer remarks (in Musc. Brit.) "In Wistman's wood, near Two Bridges on Dartmoor, it gives to the oaks a very singular appearance. Stunted branches, not larger than the wrist, often appear as large as the human body, from the very luxuriant

This fine Moss being easily attainable, and free from impurities, whence the trivial name, fishermen make use of it to scour their worms.

manner in which the Moss envelops them, frequently growing from eight to twelve inches long, and producing thece in the greatest profusion. E.) P. Feb.--April.

H. ATRO-VI'RENS. Shoot ceeping, branched: leaves egg-spear-shaped, limber capsules inversely-egg-shaped, fringed, drooping. Dicks. ii. 10.

(Musc. Brit. xxvi.-E. Bot. 2422. E.)—Dill. 43. 67. (Stems variously branched, procumbent. Leaves, all of them slightly secund, broadly ovate, with an attenuated obtuse point, the nerve running nearly to the summit. Capsule ovate, cernuous. Lid conical. Musc. Brit.; not subulate. Hook. E.) (DULL-GREEN FEATHER-MOSS. In Musc. Brit. H. filamentosum, and attenuatum, Dicks., are not allowed to be distinct from the present species; and Dill. 43. 67., usually referred to our plant, is therein said to be a very distinct species, from Virginia. E.) Woods, at the roots of trees, and on rocks in mountainous countries.

G. (1) Shoots crowded: capsules upright.

H. SERICEUM. Shoots branched, creeping: leaves oblong, hair-pointed, tiled, capsules cylindrical: lid taper-pointed, bent.

Hedw. Stirp. iv. 17-Dill. 42. 59-Curt. 126-(E. Bot. 1445—Musc. Brit. xxv. E)-H. Ox. xv. 5, row 4. 25-Vaill. 27. 3. a. b.-Gars. 639. Grows so firmly to the trunks of trees that it can scarcely be taken away entire. Linn. Shoots long, creeping, crowded, greatly branched. Branches short, roundish. Leaves slender, very closely tiled, ending in long hairs. Fruit-stalks half to one inch high, lateral, crowded. Involucrum short, thick, scaly. Capsules long, nearly cylindrical, but thickest at bottom, upright. Mouth narrow, fringe white. Lid beaked. Veil pale. Weis. Branches mostly pointing one way. Leaves soft, shining. Dill. With two or three ribs, which distinguish it from H. plumosum.

(SOFT RIBBED-LEAVED FEATHER-MOSS. E.) Leskea sericea. Hedw. On the ground on dry banks, trunks of trees, and walls. P. Sept.-April. H. MYOSU'RON. Shoots very much branched, awl-shaped, crooked, tapering upwards and downwards.

Hedw. Stirp. iv. 8-(E. Bot. 1566-Musc. Brit. xxv. E.)—Dill. 41. 50—
H. Ox. xv. 5. 27—Vaill. 28. 4.
Stem two to four inches long; branched towards the end. Leaves closely
tiled, egg-spear-shaped, hair-pointed. Involucrum short, slender, scaly.
Capsules upright or leaning. Weis. Shoots thin, creeping, sending out

66

(None of our Mosses afford a more beautiful carpet; it frequently exhibits all the richness and softness of silk, especially when dry. Curt. Some such plant as this is not only described, but depicted ad vivum in Gerard, as “Muscus ex craneo humano," and when thus found upon the scull or bare scalpes of men and women, lying long in charnell houses, it is thought to be a singular remedie against the falling evill,”—a remedy, truly, fit only to rank with other incomprehensible absurdities, superstitiously connected with the touch of executed malefactors, the blood of martyrs, the spells of witchcraft, or the black art itself, which may occasionally appear, by the aid of an overheated imagina tion, to work wonders. E.)