27 



of the New Zealand Lichens would lead us to this opinion. 

 Those islands have proved to be peculiar in their Lichens in 

 a remarkable degree. It is the province of Stictas. This is a 

 very large temperate and troj^ical genus, which is not found 

 in arctic or alpine regions, but is most abundant in New 

 Zealand, either on the ground or on trees. The same genus 

 is well represented in Austraha, but, as far as we know, not 

 to the same extent as in New Zealand. We do not know as 

 yet what is our commonest form of Lichen, or if we nave any 

 which predominates, but the results so far are of great 

 interest, and stimulate enquiry. 



The study of Lichens, however replete with interest, is still 

 a very difficult one — so difficult that the most eminent 

 lichenologists are far from being in accord with one another. 

 I do not allude now to the discussion which is taking place 

 as to the nature of the plants, but as to the classification. 

 Then there are many arrangements of the various families, 

 but botanists seeia a little divided between the merits of two 

 systems, namely, that of Fee and that of Nylander. The 

 latter has been followed by Hooker in his New Zealand and 

 Tasmanian Flora, and I believe is the system most generally 

 approved of. It has also this advantage, that Dr. Nylander 

 has himself arranged many Australian, Tasmanian, and New 

 Zealand species ; but, whatever system be adopted, deter- 

 mination can only be made with the greatest caution. Dr. 

 Hooker says, in the handbook to the New Zealand Flora 

 (p. 553), " For myself, I frankly confess that I find it impos- 

 sible to determine even the foliaceous Lichens satisfactorily, 

 except by comparison of specimens, whilst the s^^ecies of the 

 crustaceous and corticolous genera are so difficult to examine, 

 and impossible to describe in definite language, that I doubt 

 any two independent workers coming to a tolerably close 

 agreement regarding their limits and nomenclature, even if 

 they worked upon the same specimens." 



I will take the liberty of inserting in this place a few 

 remarks on the organs of Lichens, taken from Dr. J. Hooker. 

 I do this for the sake of those students into whose hands 

 this essay may come, and who may not have any easy access 

 to the authorities, or manuals which treat of the subject. 

 It is very desirable to excite an interest on lichenology in 

 Tasmania, where so much has still to be learned, and so 

 much that may be of importance to the colony may be dis- 

 covered in this department of botany. Lichens contain dye 

 principles of great value, as I shall show presently. Their 

 study, in the most important fields, will be in portions of the 

 Island now well known, but which were not accessible to Dr. 

 Hooker when he made his census. These are exactly the 



