LICHENS AND THE NATURALIST. 57 



Collemas ; these in particular should he collected in ' 

 the fall. 



Having decided upon the most favorable season for 

 collecting, we find that there are days and portions of 

 a day which are particularly suited for this work. Just 

 after a rain lichens show their brightest colors and 

 become greatly enlarged, owing to the absorption of ' 

 water. At this time the foliose and fruticose lichens 

 are not in the least brittle ; they can be bent or rolled 

 without any danger of breaking them. In the morn- 

 ing and early forenoon is the next best time in which 

 to collect. The worst period of a bright day is at noon 

 or in the early afternoon between twelve and three 

 o'clock. Quite early in the evening lichens again take 

 up moisture and lose their brittleness. In the case of 

 crustose rock and tree-lichens, the moisture or dryness 

 of the thallus is of no consequence ; they might, there- 

 fore, be collected during dry weather, or during the 

 dry periods of the day. Foliose and fruticose rock- 

 lichens lose their moisture first, next come the tree- 

 lichens, and last of all the lichens of the soil. 



No expensive or complicated outfit is needed to col- 

 lect lichens ; cumbersome and not absolutely necessary 

 traps should not be carried about. We will briefly 

 describe the equipment of a collector who intends to 

 put in a day's work in a locality where lichens are quite 

 plentiful. As to the clothing to be worn, it need not, 

 of course, be explained that it is not a dress-suit affair; 

 put on good stout old clothing, a broad-brimmed felt 

 hat, and stout shoes with thick soles. It is well and 

 advisable to carry along a lunch, and, above all, make 



