THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 99 
clearly that the lower forms of plant life stand cold the best. 
Among the cryptograms are included those curious plants, the 
lichens, well known to Muskoka visitors, and all who frequent 
those regions of pure air and sunshine, which are the favorite 
habitat of this species. Of all plants these are the hardiest. 
According to the Rev. J. M. Crombie the pronortion of lichens 
to phanerogams in different regions increases in a regular ra- 
tio from the equator to the poles, and from the base to the 
summit of lofty mountains, till at length in Arctic and _ alt- 
Alpine tracts lichens constitute almost all and sometimes the 
sole vegetation. If plant life does exist on the Moon it is 
therefore probable that it would be more like our lichens than 
any other of our terrestrial vegetable species. If a lichen could 
be found capable of absorbing its water in the solid or gaseous 
form, and capable also of holding the water in its cells under 
pressure, so that it might assume the /iquid form, and able fur- 
ther to stand a temperature of —200 degrees C., then of such 
lichens would the vegetation of the Moon be composed. 
Now I have led up to this point for a particular purpose, 
and it is this: Many observers, in seeking evidences of vege- 
tation on the Moon, look for bright green patches or regions. 
Prof. Klein, of Cologne, notes as remarkable “ the intense- 
ly green color of the whole surface, which is surrounded by the 
great Rill (near Herodotus), a coloring which is recognized 
immediately, even by an unpractised eye, and has not its equal 
in intens** on the whole moon. vere one to assume .rof. W. 
H. Pickering’s view of a certain vegetable growth on the Moon 
one would seek it first of all in the region of the great Herodo- 
tus Rill.’ Of this same region Gruithuisen wrote in 1824 
that he saw “in the east and northeast of Aristarchus a ming- 
ling of all kinds of colors in small spots, which gave an indis- 
tinct impression of plantations. That with us, vineyards, 
meadows, summer and winter grain fields and woodlands, all 
mingled, would have this appearance, were one to view them 
from the Moon.” Now lichens are usually yellow, orange, red, 
brown, grey, grey green, olive or black in tint, and never as 
far as I know vividly green. 
