2 0. V. DAEBISHIEE. 



hand lichens form par excellence the outposts of plant-life, and their collection is of the 

 greatest biological interest, as they occur in places where no other plants at all are met 

 with. Mosses and Algae accompany the lichens only up to a certain point. No doubt 

 more lichens might have been found if an expert lichenologist had accompanied 

 Captain Scott ; but, as it is, the material of the ' Discovery ' is of very great interest. 

 Most interesting is the discovery on Mount Erebus at a height of 1500 feet of 

 Gyrophora anthracina, Polycauliona recalls, Caloplaca citrina, and Neuropoyon nnli- 

 xanthum. The first and last of these four lichens are also recorded from Mount Terror. 

 All but the second of the four are also Arctic species. Of still greater importance is 

 the finding at the highest point reached on the ridge of the Western Mountains that 

 is, at a height of 5000 feet of a few bits of lichen. Two bits remained indeterminable, 

 and a third with some misgiving, it is true was relegated to Lecanora sut/futat,. 

 But it is of sufficient importance to discover any living organism at all in such a 

 locality. Amongst the twenty -five species of lichens, there were five new to science. 



The lichens of the 'Discovery' were collected in the neighbourhood of Granite 

 Harbour, McMurdo Bay ; at the Winter Harbour ; on Mounts Erebus and Terror ; 

 and on the Western Mountains. The various substrata on which the lichens were 

 found are moss, felspar-porphyry, dark basic scoriaceous lava, dark basic volcanic 

 agglomerate, dark basic lava, dark basic tuff, and light acid volcanic ash. I have to 

 thank Mr. G. H. A. Hickling for kindly naming the material on which the lichens were 

 growing. 



ENUMERATION OF THE SPECIES. 



LKCIDEA AUEICULATA. 



Lecidea aurkulata Th. Fr. Th. Fries, Lick. Scand., p. 490. 



Locality. Granite Harbour, McMurdo Bay, January 20th, 1902, on felspar 

 porphyry. 



Notes. The specimens of this species, only a few apothecia of which were found, 

 belonged to the var. diducens (Nyl.) Th. Fr. ; crusta fere nulla. On the same stone 

 were specimens of Placodium murorum and an undetermined species of Endocarpon. 

 A few apothecia of Lecanora polytropa were also noticed on the same bit of porphyry. 

 Lecidea auriculata is also recorded from the Arctic regions and from the northern and 

 alpine parts of Europe. 



* 



RHIZOCARPON GEOGRAPHICUM. 



Rhizocarpon geographicum. (L.) B.C. Th. Fries, Lich. Scand., p. 622. 



Locality. Granite Harbour, McMurdo Bay, January 20th, 1902, on granite. 



Notes. This species is one of the most cosmopolitan of lichens in its distribution. 

 It has been recorded for the Antarctic by MM. Hue (Charcot, no. 16), and Wainio 



