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Mycologia 



one American. It would not be in order in this paper to consider 

 whether the views expressed after the first four horizontal rows 

 of figures are of relatively little importance; but it may be stated 

 here appropriately that the views expressed in the first horizontal 

 lines in each of the two tables are, neither of them, of considerable 

 value unless accompanied by argument or at least a brief state- 

 ment of reasons why lichens do or do not form a distinct group of 

 plants. 



Although the circular letter stated that the views of botanists 

 would not be given over their signatures, a number of correspon- 

 dents replied that they did not obect to being quoted. Very 

 probably permission of all might have been obtained to use their 

 names with the quotations. No amount of tabulation and presen- 

 tation of data could take the place of extensive quotation, but the 

 arguments presented in the quotations may be more valuable 

 given impersonally. The quotations were selected to express best 

 the various arguments advanced. Twenty-one (21) of the quo- 

 tations are from foreign botanists and an equal number from 

 Americans, the character of the foreign replies being such that 

 the number chosen for quotation is large in proportion to the 

 number of foreign replies received. All of the foreign replies 

 quoted save one are from European botanists. The preliminary 

 statements of the replies are seldom quoted, and in some instances 

 only a small portion of the reply is used. It has seemed best 

 to give each quotation in a single paragraph and to preserve 

 uniformity in use of italics in this paper though this often changes 

 the form used by the one quoted. The quotations are given in 

 the order of presentation of data in the two tables. After each 

 quotation will be found the main division or divisions of botanical 

 work in which its author is engaged, and the number or letter or 

 numbers or letters under which the quotation is classified in the 

 tables. When two possible solutions are advanced with a prefer- 

 ence for one of them, the letter or figure representing what the 

 one quoted regards the less satisfactory solution is followed by a 

 minus sign. The portion followed by the minus sign is reduced, 

 in parentheses, to the form used in the tables. So large a number 

 of quotations is necessary, since each one expresses some impor- 

 tant view not contained in the others, or makes some point very 



