^5t CRYPTOGAMIA ALGAi. 



water, of a red colour, and urinous fmcll •, when 

 dry, fiilcous, except the extremities, which are 

 whitifn or bufF-coIour'd. 



The fliields are rarely feen. They appear at firO: 

 like very Imall tubercles, with a point in their 

 centre ■, atterv/ards they encrcafe, and form con- 

 cave fliields, about i-6th of an inch in diame- 

 ter, of a tawny red colour, with granulated 

 pale blue margins. 



But what is mofl fingular in this Lichen, is, thr.r, 

 befides thefe fliields, there grow out of the leavts 

 black green tufts or balls, of various fizes, which 

 appear, by the help of a microfcope, to be com- 

 pofed of numerous white pedicles, dichotomoufly 

 tiivided at the top into a clufter of pellucid dark 

 green gelatinous branches, covered with black 

 farinaceous particles. 



Whether thefe balls are a part of the plant itfclf, 

 or only a parafitical produftion, Dilkmus is in 

 doubt ; but Mkhcli and Scopili pronounce them 

 to be female frudifications and their opinion 

 feems to be neareft the truth, as thefe produc- 

 tions do conftantly attend this plant, and have 

 never yet been difcovered elfewhere. 



Some fpecimcns indeed, according to Micheli, pro- 

 duce ihields only ; and others, balls, without 

 ihields, which might induce one to think the ! 

 plant was dlrcicus, 



■ " Bnr, 



