Jung 1905.] | BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 105 
UI. Tor LicHENs oF THE SouTH OrKNEYs. By Orro V. 
DARBISHIRE. 
The lichens of the Arctic regions are fairly well known, 
and for this state of things there are three reasons. The 
limits of the Arctic regions are well defined. Furthermore, 
a very large amount of material has at various times been 
brought back to Europe; and, lastly, this material has been 
worked through critically and as a whole by various 
lichenologists. 
With regard to the Antarctic lichens, on the other hand, 
we have three difticulties to contend with. The limits of the 
Antarctic regions do not admit of easy definition. We have, 
secondly, no very extensive and exhaustive collections from 
certain limited areas, but rather a sample taken here and a 
sample taken there, in localities to which often flying visits 
only have been paid by expeditions. This becomes the case 
more and more the further south we go. Of course the 
scattered nature of the land, which may be included in the 
term Antarctic, is largely responsible for this being the case. 
Lastly, we are still in want of a critical examination of all 
the herbarium material that has so far been collected, and 
all that there is to be found in the literature. There must be 
a sufficiently great quantity of material in European and 
American herbaria, and in the literature of the subject, to 
make such a critical examination a fairly hopeful undertaking. 
But a compilation of the printed records must be accom- 
panied by a critical examination of the corresponding 
herbarium specimens. 
Till this herculean task has been successfully accomplished 
we must confine our energies to getting hold of every possible 
morsel of lichen-material from the Antarctic regions and 
earefully recording name and locality. From this point of 
view the lichens brought back by the Scottish National 
Antarctic Expedition, and collected by Mr. R. N. Rudmose 
Brown, are very interesting and valuable. Eleven species 
were collected at the South Orkneys. 
I will now enumerate the species, adding any observations 
that may appear necessary, and then make some more 
general remarks on the distribution of Antarctic lichens. 
