Fink: Nature and Classification of Lichens 257 



that they are usually and most conveniently studied by them- 

 selves ; a study which is certainly sufficient for the life work of 

 any one man. The lichens always appealed to me as being a 

 group comparable systematically to the diatoms or bacteria. That 

 is to say for all practical purposes groups standing off by them- 

 selves and best considered by themselves, whatever views one may 

 hold regarding their theoretical relationships. Mycologist, 2, 10, 



Quotation 28 



It is practical to treat the lichens as a special class and besides 

 to place under the fungi all those fungi which appear combined 

 with algae as lichens, but also appear without algae as free fungi. 

 We do the same with the algae. If any one wishes to place the 

 lichens under the fungi, there is nothing to say against it. The 

 question is not a scientific one, but a purely practical one. The 

 main point is to learn to know the lichens better and better in all 

 respects. How one wishes to classify them afterwards is a 

 tolerably indifferent matter. It is practical to retain a special 

 division as lichens because we already have so large a lichen 

 literature and such large lichen herbaria, and because most lichens 

 are clearly characterized as such. Mycologist, Physiologist, 2, 



12, 13, a- (/2-12-13) * 



Quotation 29 



From what I know of the Lichens I should be strongly inclined 

 to regard them as having their proper taxonomic position among 

 the Fungi, and they ought to be distributed according to the 

 relationships indicated by the fungal characters. It seems to 



* Es ist praktisch, die Lichenen als besondere Classe zu behandeln, und aus- 

 serdem alle jene Pilze, welche mit Algen verbunden als Flechten, aber auch 

 ohne Algen als freie Pilze vorkommen, ausserdem unter den Pilzen aufzuzahlen. 

 Mit den Algen macht man es ja auch so. Wenn Jemand die Lichenen unter 

 den Pilzen aufzahlen will, so ist auch nichts dagegen zu sagen. Die Frage ist 

 keine wissenschaftliche, sondern eine rein practische. Die Hauptsache ist, die 

 lichenen in jeder Hinsicht immer besser kennen zu lernen. Wie man sie 

 nachher klassificiren will, ist ziemlich gleichgiiltig. Practisch ist die Beibe- 

 haltung einer besonderen Lichenen-Abteilung, weil es eine so grosse Lichenen- 

 literatur und grosse Lichenen-Herbarien bereits giebt, und weil die meisten 

 Lichenen als solche deutlich characterisiert sind. 



