THE PAGE OF NATURE. 83 



summits. These gloomy lichens, associated as they 

 almost always are with the dusky tufts of that sin- 

 gular genus of mosses the Andreas, give a very marked 

 aud peculiar character to many of the Highland moun- 

 tains, especially to the summit of Ben Nevis, where they 

 creep, in the utmost profusion, over the fragments of 

 abraded rocks which strew the ground on every side, 

 otherwise bare and leafless, as was the world on the first 

 morning of creation, and reminding one of the ruins of 

 some stupendous castle, or the battle-field of the Titans. 

 Some of the Alpine lichens, however, are remarkable 

 for the vividness and brilliancy of their colours. The 

 mountain cup-moss, with its light-green stalk clothed 

 and fillagreed with scales, and emerald cup studded round 

 with rich scarlet knobs, presents no unapt resemblance to 

 a double red daisy. It grows in large clusters on the 

 bare storm-scalped ridges, and forms a kind of miniature 

 flower-garden in the Alpine wilderness. The loveliest, 

 however, of all the mountain lichens is the Solorina 

 crocea, which spreads over the loose mould in the clefts 

 of rocks, and on the fragments of comminuted schist on 

 the summits of the highest Highland mountains, forming 

 patches of the most beautiful and vivid green, varied, 

 when the under-side of the lobes is curled up, by reticula- 

 tions of a very rich orange-saffron colour. This species 

 u not found at a lower elevation than 4000 feet ; hence 

 it is unknown in England, Ireland, and Wales, whose 

 highest mountains fall considerably short of this altitude. 

 I have gathered it on Cairngorm, Ben Macdhui and Ben 

 Lawers. In this last locality, which is well known to 

 botanists as exhibiting a perfect garden of rare and 



