LICHENS. 229 



We found it in a glen on the Yorkshire moors, near 

 Dallaghgill : the country people called it " young man's 

 hair," because of its brown colour ; while they designated 

 the flower-like Usnea as " Old man's hair" from its white 

 tint. It is said that this lichen is used as bandages for 

 the feet in Lapland, and forms food for sheep and cows 

 in Canada, The stringy Usnea (U. plicata) is found on 

 park palings ; it grows long and slender, and is of a grey 

 powdery hue. I have it from Fowler's Park, Hawkhurst. 

 Captain Weddell, in his journal, describes a species of 

 Usnea in the New South Shetland Islands, " very beauti- 

 ful, and bearing large deep chestnut fructification ;" he 

 speaks of " a little straggling grass, and a few mosses 

 and lichens, as the only produce of these far southern 

 lands." 



The thread-like fronds of the Eock hair (Alectoria 

 jubata, Plate XVI., fig. 5) are to be found upon trees, 

 firs in general ; it only flourishes in alpine situations. 

 It grows in mountainous districts in Britain ; but the 

 only time I ever found it was in Switzerland. Trees by 

 the side of a snow torrent many hundred feet above the 

 level of the sea, had all their lower branches bearded with 

 long dark waving hair. These lichen fronds are branched 

 and of a dark brown ; the apotheciee sessile and black. 



The Cornicularia group succeeds that of Alectoria. 

 Here the branches are shorter, very firm and shrub-like, 

 and the shield-like apothecise are borne on the summits 

 of the stems or branches,. 



On a wide moorland, forming the flattened summit of 

 an extensive cliff, near to the small town of Polperro in 

 Cornwall, we found an elastic carpet of black matted 



