SHE STORY OF THE WILD FLOAVEUS. 7 



purple tinge when viewed against the light. E. fuel- 

 formis is, however, but little inferior to ila better- 

 known brother. These form the orchil or archil dye 

 of commerce. The Crab's-eye Lichen (Lecanora pal- 

 lescens), common in the north of England, and con- 

 spicuous by its dirty white patches on rocky surfaces, 

 is yet used for the same purpose in France. Another, 

 but a brownish-hued branch of the family, L. tartarea, 

 is the Cudbear of commerce, and is a considerable 

 item of rural industry in Scotland. Many of the 

 mosses are gathered for economic purposes. The fine 

 Club Moss is used as a mordant in rural dyeing, 

 whilst the common club moss is of value to the pyro- 

 technist. 



The seaweed family, the castaways of every storm, 

 are not only of use as manure, but they enter largely 

 into the economy of human life. Before chemistry had 

 discovered an economic method of making soda from 

 salt, the burning of sea-wrack for Jcelp was a source of 

 considerable wealth to the inhabitants of the north of 

 Scotfand. Carrageen Moss (CTiondrus crispus) is 

 gathered in large quantities, and bleached, either for 

 use in the sick-room, or to be boiled as food for cattle. 

 Dulse, or, as the Irish call it, dillesk (Rliodymenia 



