an Ocean survey, forty-four years after tion  tiny lift Fortey and I sey cted genially and familiarly as  about te t sediments are laid down.

    ed, Fortey said to me: “t y-tudying one species of plant, St. Jo. ired in 1989,but ill comes in every week.”

    “y-t?” I asked.

    “It’s remarkable, isn’t it?” Fortey agreed.  for a moment. “ly.” t door opened to reveal a bricked-over opening. Fortey lookedconfounded. “t’s very strange,”  used to be Botany back tton for anot lengto Botany by means of backstaircases and discreet trespass t more departments ors toiledlovingly over once-living objects. And so it  I roduced to Len Ellis and t o t of us.

    ically noted t mosses favor trees (“t bark, ar ury mosses and lic distinguisrue mosses aren’t actuallyfussy about , mosses aren’tactually muc group of plants e  a touco Knos, publisill to be found on manylibrary s ttempt to popularize t.

    tes is a busy realm, en tained ately Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland by A. J. E. Smito seven ain and Ireland are by no means outstandingly mossy places. “tropics are old me. A quiet, spare man,  tural oryMuseum for ty-seven years and curator of tment since 1990. “You can go outinto a place like ts of Malaysia and find neies ive ease. I didt myself not long ago. I looked do had never beenrecorded.”

    “So  knoo be discovered?”

    “Oh, no. No idea.”

    You mig t many people in to devotelifetimes to tudy of somet in fact moss people number introngly about t. “Oold me,