56 GUIDE TO THE STUDY OF LICHENS. 



SECTION VI. 



LICHENS AND THE NATURALIST. 



It is hoped that, from the consideration of the pre- 

 ceding chapters, the reader has obtained a fair knowl- 

 edge of the true nature of a lichen, so that there will 

 be no difficulty in recognizing at least the higher forms. 

 The origin and structure of lichens has been explained, 

 so that there is no excuse for confounding them with 

 fungi or mosses, or to designate them as " dead things," 

 "excrescences," or "nothing much." Each lichen 

 will bring up some association, with the history of 

 its evolution, its treatment in the hands of the botan- 

 ists of the past, its uses in the arts and in medicine, its 

 relation to other plants, its work in nature, etc. All 

 this will serve as food for thought while on a collecting 

 trip. It is now our purpose to indicate briefly how 

 to collect, study and preserve lichens. 



I. THE COLLECTION OF LICHENS. 



Lichens may be collected all the year round, but 

 there are seasons which are more suitable than others ; 

 such as late in the summer and in the autumn, because 

 then the thalli and the apothecia are at their best. 

 The great majority of lichens live from year to year, 

 and can, therefore, be collected at any time ; some be- 

 gin development and mature in one season, such as the 



