“312 CRYPTOGAMIA. 
crustaceous kinds fix upon the barest rocks, and are nou- 
rished by such slender supplies as the air and the rains 
afford them. When these die, they are converted into a 
very fine earth, in which the tiled LicuEns find nourish- 
ment, and when these putrefy, and fall to dust, various 
Mosses, as the Brrum, Hypnum, &c. occupy their place; _ 
and in length of time, when these perish in theirtum, 
there is a sufficiency of soil, in which trees and other 
plants take root. This rocess of nature is sufficiently 
a upon the mb and barren rocks upon the sea 
shore. | 
Many of the Licuens are a grateful food to goats; 
and the rein-deer, which constitutes the whole ceconomyof — 
the Laplanders, and supports many thousand inhabitants, 
lives upon one of the species. Many of the species afford 
colours for dying. One of them, brought from the Canary 
Islands, viz. the Orchel, or Argol, pi a very consider- — 
able article of traffic. It is not improbable, that someof — 
the species ges in our own saad, me afford very 
beautiful and useful colours ; but this matter has not been — 
ss examined. Mr. Hellot gives us the following — 
process, for discovering whether any of these plants will — 
yield a red or purple colour. Put about a quarter of an — 
ounce of the plant in question inta.a small glass, moisten — 
it well with equal parts of me water, and spirit of 
Sal Ammoniac ; or the spirit of Sal Ammoniac madeWi 
eer lime, will do, without lime water. Tye a wet bla 
close over the top of the .vessel, and let it stand th 
or four days. If any colour is likely to be obtained, the 
small quantity of liquor you will find in the glass will be 
of a deep crimson red ; and the plant will retain thesame 
colour when the liquor is all dried up. If neither the 
liquor nor the plant have taken any colour, it is 
to make any further trials.” 
FUNGI. 
This Order consists of plants mostly of a cork-! 
texture, of short duration ; bearing their seeds either 
gills or tubes, or attached to fibres, or to a spongy oa 
stance. As we know but little of their fructification, 
Generic characters are taken from their external form, 
from the disposition of their seeds, Amn Agaric is rep! 
