THE MOSSES. FUNGI, AND LICHENS. 



305 



microscope it appears as follows : It will be seen 

 that even these lowly organised types of vegetation 

 have differentiated parts for the purposes of repro- 

 duction. If you cut across the leaf-like layer 

 (ihallus) of the common Yellow Lichen, even with 

 the naked eye you will perceive three different 

 layers. When these are submitted to the micro- 

 Fig. 246. 



Section of PhysciA partetina. a. Paraphyses ; 6. Asci with Spores; 

 c. Hypothecium ; d. Section of Apothecium ; e. Spore. 



scope, they present the appearance seen in Fig. 246. 

 Like mosses, lichens are very abundant. They grow 

 on stones, trees, twigs, hedge-banks, rocks, almost 

 everywhere. We possess in this country about eight 

 hundred different indigenous species. Perhaps the 

 best book you can carry with you in your search 

 after these very interesting forms is Lindsay's 

 History of British Lichens,' in which you will 



