230 



POPULAR HISTORY OF LICHENS. 



of the Caspian, whose inhabitants were in a state of famine, 

 was suddenly covered by a Lichen which fell from heaven. 

 The sheep were noticed to eat it with avidity ; the idea im- 

 mediately occurred to the famishing inhabitants that this 

 substance might prove equally agreeable or nutritious to 

 themselves, and accordingly it was converted into bread. 

 A substance eaten by the Kirghiz Tartars under the name 

 of " Earth-bread " would appear to be a different Lichen, 

 inasmuch as it occurs as a crustaceous coating of the soil; 

 cracking and separating in fragments when the ground be- 

 comes dry."* 



Genus II. UKCEOLARIA, Aek 



Gen. Char. Thallus uniform, usually greyish or whitish, some- 

 times rusty-coloured (by the absorption of peroxide of iron from 

 the soil). Thalamium always naked, marginate, concave or flat- 

 tish, black or reddish, somewhat separate from the margin of its 

 exciple. (Name from urceolus, a little water-pitcher, in allusion 

 to the form of the apothecium.) 



1. Urceolaria. cinerea (cinereus, of an ash colour). 

 Thallus tartareous, smoothish, greyish or whitish rimose- 



* Eversmann, In Liehenem esculentem Pallasii : "Wright, on L. esculenta, 

 in American Journal of Science, 1847 : Walpers, on L. esculenta, in Bota- 

 nische Zeitung, Aug. 25, 1851 : Berkeley, in Gardeners' Chronicle, 1849, 

 p. 611, or Lindley's 'Vegetable Kingdom,' 3rd ed. 1853, p. 50c. 



