iS 



BULLETIN 5 



well as many extensions of range for the basis of such a list, 

 but, while much has been done, it is not possible for the 

 committee to make any complete or full report at this time. 

 Work is progressing at the Gray Herbarium and the Her- 

 barium of the New England Botanical Club, and much has 

 also been accomplished by the various members of the com- 

 mittee in several important collections in the State, especially 

 in the Herbarium of the Portland Society of Natural History 

 and in that of Bowdoin College. Material is scattered, in 

 many instances not easily accessible, and the time that the 

 committee can devote to the work is limited. These condi- 

 tions render progress somewhat slow, but the part of the 

 work already practically completed includes the fern plants 

 the pond weeds, and all the grasses and sedges. These fam- 

 ilies offer some peculiar difficulties, as they include plants 

 which are not as often recognized and collected as are those 

 of most other families. 



The co-operation of members of the Society, and others, 

 is earnestly desired in determining the range of rare or un- 

 usual species. 



Notes on the Primitive Uses of Lichens. 



By George K. Merrill. 



A story of the edible species of lichens would be an in- 

 teresting one, but may be only touched upon in the brief time 

 at our disposal. First in ecomomic importance to the races 

 of mankind may be considered the omnipresent Cladonia 

 rangiferina and allied species, of the temperate and sub-arctic 

 regions of our earth. These lichens, while common in our 

 State of Maine, in northern countries find a greater stature, a 

 more impressive development and a surpassing abundance. 

 Chief among peoples making use of such lichens in their 

 domestic economy are the Laplanders. Linnaeus, in the 

 story of his journeyings in that desert land (the terrae damna- 

 tae of other visitants), feelingly observes on the forbidding 

 character of the country, and on the absolute dependence of 



