CATALOGUE OF MR. N. J. WINCh's LICHENS, 307 



XVII. — A Catalogue of Mr. N. J. WincJi's Lichens, now in the 

 Museum of the Natural History Society, Newcastle-wpon-Tyne. 

 By the Rev. W. Johnson. December, 1887. 



The following list of lichens is part of Mr. "Winch's herbarium, 

 and, we regret to say, the only part of his lichen-collection 

 which it is now the privilege of the Barras Bridge Museum to 

 possess. The name of ISTathaniel John Winch is well known to 

 North-country and other botanists, by the "Botanists' Guide, 

 etc.," and his "Flora of ISTorthumberland and Durham;" and it 

 is a matter of profound regret that we know so little about the 

 man. Mr. "Winch was a zealous student and a keen investigator 

 in botanical science, and that, at a time, when the facilities 

 for such work were much less than at the present ; when the 

 science of botany was less advanced, and work must necessarily 

 be more original; and when journeys far into country districts 

 were an arduous undertaking and meant much personal labour 

 and sacrifice. Notwithstanding these, with other concomitant 

 dij0S.culties, Mr. "Winch fairly investigated the flora of our two 

 northern counties, and reduced his knowledge and facts to order 

 for the benefit of those who should follow him in the same 

 track. To the authors of the " Botanists' Guide through North- 

 umherland and Durham,'''' and to Dr. Gr. Johnston, of Berwick, 

 after them, the credit may be fairly said to be due of developing 

 and systematizing north country botany. Before the appearance 

 of the above-named work in 1805, what had been done in the 

 flora of Northumberland and Durham was very limited indeed. 



Mr. Winch was a Fellow of the Linneean Society and an 

 Honorary Member of the Geological Society of London. To 

 the latter Society he contributed a valuable Memoir in 1814, 

 entitled "Observations on the" Geology of Northumberland and 

 Durham." See Trans, of the Geological Society of London, 

 Yol. lY. 1816. He was closely associated with the work and 

 objects of the Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle- 

 upon-Tyne, as is evidenced by his literary contributions. He 

 was also one of the founders of the ' ' Natural History Society 



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