LICHENS 



petod with it for many miles. Those are fine pastures 

 to the Ijapland(4', and a m;in who owns a tract of them 

 is thought to be rich, for he can keep great herds of 

 reindeer. 



When the snow is frozen so hard that the reindeer 

 cannot get their usual food, the}' eat another curious 

 hchen called rock hair. This grows upon the trunks 

 and branches of trees. It hangs down in masses and in 

 long loops or garlands, waving in the wind. When the 



winter is severe, the Lap- 

 landers cut down the trees so 

 that the reindeer can feed 

 upon these lichens. 



You see from this that 



these little lichens, which 



Rock Hair Ruskin calls ^' humblest of 



the things that hve," pro- 

 vide food, clothing, and means of transportation for a 

 vast num])er of people in the cold regions. The peo})le 

 live upon the reindeer, and the reindeer upon the lichen. 



ICELAND ^lOSS 



You have just been reading al)out lichens that 

 furnish food for the reindeer. But in Iceland there is 

 a lichen which forms an important ai'lick^ of food for 

 the people. 



This is the Iceland moss. It is found in all the 



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