848 Transactions.— Botany. 
natural sequence under one tribe or subtribe, the few characters which at 
present define the genus would be sufficient for the higher group, 1n accord- 
ance with the law enforced by Jussieu, that the larger the group the fewer 
the characters by which it is limited. What reasonable objection can be 
urged to the proposal. We should outrage no natural alliance of the 
species. While the advantage would consist in this, that the name of each 
lichen would carry with it not only the tribal characters but also its dis- 
tinguishing generic characteristics, and would thus secure to the student 
one of the leading objects of a natural classification. 
It is urged that to scatter cognate species amongst a number of genera 
would be an offence against the harmony that exists in nature ; but if so, and 
we are to be governed by mere prudery, no division of species could be ad- 
mitted, seeing that, as Ray asserted and Linneus copied, ** Natura non facit 
saltus." Indeed, there is no scheme of classification which is not liable to the 
objection that between two closely-allied genera there will always be one or 
more species which can be placed in either of the two; and, as Lindley 
observes in ** The Vegetable Kingdom,"—-*'it cannot be of any possible con- 
sequence whether an intermediate or frontier plant be assigned to one 
group or another and convenience alone should be considered in such a 
matter. * * * All the groups into which plants are thrown are, in one 
sense, artificial, inasmuch as Nature recognizes no such groups. Neverthe- 
less, consisting in all cases of species very closely-allied in nature, they are 
in another sense natural. But as the classes, subclasses, alliances, natural 
orders and genera of botanists have no real existence in nature, it follows 
they have no fixed limit and consequently it is impossible to define them." 
That differences exist among the Lecidez as now constituted sufficient for 
the purpose of arranging the species under several genera is certain from 
the success which appears to have attended the labours of Massolonga and 
others. Nylander himself has arranged them in sections. As to the ques- 
tionable value of Massolonga's scheme, I do not at present wish to make 
any remarks, or to criticize Nylander's sectional arrangement. 
1. Baomyces nove-zealandia, n. sp. 
Thallus crustaceus tenuissimus sordide luteolus, madefactus albo- 
virescens, effusus pulverulens (mieroscopi area granula gonima obsita). 
Apothecia discoidea peltata, in centro peranguste adnata (diam. circa 
2 mm.) madefacta albo-incarnata et convexa, margine obsoleto, excipulo 
proprio incolorato arachnoideo-filamentoso (filis diam. 0:001 mm.), para- 
physibus tenuissimis densatis paucis apice laxis nonnihil ramosis. Spore 
in ascis cylindraceis angustissimis confertissimis uniseriales oblongo-sub- 
fusiformes incolores simplices, guttam unam magnam (evanescentem 
glycerinà) centralem continentes, longit. 0-017 mm., crassit. 0-006 mm. 
