458 Lichenes of New England. 
k # 
tematic arrangements of the Lichenes, which have 
been proposed by authors, has been extended, per- 
haps, too far already ; and I pass to the next topic, 
which is suggested by the last clause of the forego- 
ing sentence, — the Uses of the Lichenes. This is 
an object of far more importance and interest than 
will readily be supposed by those who have not paid 
attention to it. But my opportunities of consulting 
the numerous learned works upon it, have been so 
very few, that, in the.following remarks, I hope only 
to be able to apply some of the discoveries of Euro- 
pean naturalists to our own Flora, as containing the 
same plants upon whieh the experiments abroad were 
made. And I would again refer to the excellent 
view of this subject in the already-cited article of 
the “ Edinburgh Encyclopedia," of which article I 
am compelled to avail myself freely, in what follows. 
The gradual formation of soil, both by the disinte- ' 
gration of the rocks on which many groups of species 
grow, and also by the decay of their own bodies, has 
been often traced to the Lichenes. And no botanist 
can visit one of our old forests, without observing 
manifest and striking proofs of their slow but sure 
powers of destruction. This is their destiny, and it 
requires little thought to understand in some degree - 
its end. But the higher orders of creation have 
found in these plants uses so important, and man 
himself has turned them to account so profitably, that 
perhaps we may not limit the purposes of their be- 
ing to a simple design, however constant and uni- . 
versal this be found. I have had my room overrun 
with young spiders, which the warmth brought out 
