360 Dr James Stirton ow Lichcna. 



tion with Stereocaulon. Under those circumstances, it has 

 heeu deemed advisable to rank it under a new subgenus 

 Tliyscmophoron. 



Professor Th. M. Fries of Upsala, Sweden, to whom a 

 specimen was submitted, has pronounced in favour of 

 association with Sphcerojihorofi. He alleges that the 

 presence of cephalodia is no barrier to such association, and 

 he quotes Nylander as having occasionally detected 

 cephalodia on specimens of Sphcerophoron. 



The system of cephalodia in the present instance is, 

 however, far too thickly and constantly disposed over the 

 plant to warrant the assumption of the individuals being 

 merely accidentally located. I have examined numerous 

 specimens of Sphcerophoron, not only of this country, but 

 from various parts of the world, and have not detected 

 cephalodia on any, accordingly they must be very rare, and 

 very probably accidental. On the other hand, the general 

 aspect of undoubted species of Stereocaulon from different 

 parts of the world is by no means so characteristic of the 

 genus as authors would lead us to infer. I possess 

 specimens of a Stereocaulon from the Himalayas, gatliered 

 by Mr J. Thomson of Glasgow, in which the general 

 disposition and branching of the fibrillfB are such as to 

 give prima facie the impression of Sphcerophoron. And 

 generally the more tropical Stereocaula have the usual 

 flattish phyllocladia of colder northern climates converted 

 into simple or composite cylindrical fibrillse ; in other 

 words, their general aspect approaches more or less that of 

 species of the genus Sphcerophoron. On the whole, then, 

 I am still inclined (in the absence of fructification) to 

 separate the lichen under consideration from both 

 Stereocaulon and Sphmrophoron. 



3. The otlier lichen is due to the Rev. George M'Conachie 

 of Rerrick, near Kirkcudbright, and is from the ruins of 

 Dundrennan Abbey, so sadly associated with the hapless 

 Mary Queen of Scotland. 



In general appearance it approaches closely the rather 

 anomalous Lecidea canescens (Dickson), but the internal 

 structure and colour of the thallus are almost those of 

 Pyxlne cocci/era (Fee), as well as the constitution of the 

 apothecia and spores. The almost entire absence of the 



