PABBAMATTA DISTRICT. 11 



enterprising African traveller, and forced him to exclaim, " Can 

 that Being who planted, watered, and brought to perfection in 

 this obscure part of the world, a thing which appears of so small 

 importance, look with unconcern upon the situation and suffer- 

 ings of creatures formed after his own image ?" (Park's Travels, 

 Chap. 18.) The Lichens are not very numerous, being confined 

 to few species, and these seem identical with the European ones. 

 One of the most familiar is Usnea barbata, which by Shakspeare and 

 other poets is so frequently referred to as " Beardmoss," " Tree- 

 moss," and "Idle-moss." This Lichen may be seen on old trees 

 and fences, and as if sheltering itself from the hot winds of 

 the north, almost invariably choosing a southerly aspect. The 

 beautiful little Cladonia, C. bellidiflora, is very frequently seen on 

 the stumps of dead trees, and I think that it is to this Lichen 

 Mrs. Hemans refers in the following lines : 



Oh ! green is the turf where my brothers play 

 Through the long bright hours of the summer day, 



They find the red cup moss where they climb, 

 And they chase the bee o'er the scented thyme. 



It is highly probable that our Cladonia, of which we have also 

 the elegant 0. retipora, contain a certain quantity of gummy and 

 starchy matter, and hence they might be used in hooping cough 

 and other complaints of the lungs, but it would be difficult to 

 procure them in any quantity. 



Of the fungi, I have not made any estimate, as with very few 

 exceptions, they appear to be similar to the European species. 

 Some of the Polyperi, especially P. sanguineus, which is seen so 

 frequently on dead tea trees, are pretty objects, and there is a 

 large underground fungus, Mylitta Australis, sometimes dug up in 

 new ground in the neighbourhood, that has attracted some attention. 

 The largest I have seen is about the size of a child's head, and it 

 answers nearly to Endlicher's description of the genus Balsamia, 

 but a much larger one was dug up at Melbourne some months ago. 

 I may add also that the curious fungus, Aseroe pentactina, of 

 which there is an excellent figure in Lindley's Vegetable King- 

 dom, is of frequent occurrence here, and seems to be identical with 

 the species found in New Zealand and Ceylon. The receptacle 

 of this fungus is generally five parted with bifid segments, of a 

 red colour and of an odour most abominable, being probably 

 similar in properties to Phallus impudicus, to which it is nearly 



