THE 



^xctoxxan ^atnvali&t. 



YoL. YI.— No. 4. AUGUST, 1889. No. 68. 



A HUNT FOR LICHENS IN EAST GIPPSLAND. 



By Rev. F. R. M. Wilson. 



( Read before the Field Naturalists^ Club, wth March, 1889.^ 



During the month of December it was arranged that the excur- 

 sion to East Gippsland should be divided into two — one party to 

 examine the neighbourhood of Orbost, and the other to proceed 

 through Orbost to the boundary of New South Wales. When 

 the time for the excursion arrived, the Orbost party had dwindled 

 down to one. That one, however, did not lose courage ; but, 

 forming himself into a forlorn hope, began the assault on the 

 appointed day, Monday, 24th December, and took train to 

 Bairnsdale. At present there are two coaches to Orbost, one 

 from Bairnsdale through Bruthen, and the other from Cunning- 

 hame at the Lakes' Entrance. Of the two the latter was found the 

 more convenient. Taking the boat, therefore, at Bairnsdale, 

 your excursionist arrived that evening at Cunninghame, and pro- 

 ceeded to Roadknight's Hotel. As the coach leaves that hotel 

 for Orbost on Sundays and Wednesdays, there was an interval of 

 a day to be spent at the Lakes' Entrance. Although the scrub 

 about Roadknight's hotel has been nearly all fired, and lichens 

 are consequently few, a number of the commoner sorts were 

 noted, such as Usnea barbata, everywhere so abundant through- 

 out the world ; Parmelia ulophylla, P. perforata, P. caperata, all 

 very common in the colony ; P. tiliacea, P. perlata, P. pertusa, 

 P. Borreri, P. tenuirima, P. placorhodioides, Theloschistes chryosph- 

 thalmus, Physcia stellaris, Cladonia verticillata, C. furcata, C. 

 pyxidata, C. aggregata, Ramalina calicaris, R faxinea, Peltigera 

 polydactyla, Lecanota atra, L. parella, &c. Collections were made 

 of several Giaphidei, Lecanoroe, &c., which have been found only in 

 Gippsland, and the names of which are still undetermined. One 

 prize was got — a new species of the genus Co?iiocybe, a genus 

 hitherto unknown to the southern hemisphere. The species has 

 been named rhodocephala, from the rosy colour of its capitulum. 

 A full description is given elsewhere. 



While collecting these lichens in the lilypilli scrub the note 

 of the bell-bird attracted attention. At first this unusual and 

 somewhat musical sound is rather pleasant j but, after a pro- 



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