— 34 —! 
be colonized on the trunk and limbs of the alder. That ubiquitous and 
“comfortable polypody,” Polypodium occidentale, is sure to be in evidence 
if it can find lodgement anywhere. Indeed it appears that P or el la navicu- 
laris offers protection to its creeping stems; sometimes it will intrude upon 
Frullania Nisquallensis , whose reddisli woven mats give a pretty relief to 
the green of the polypody, and this may be set off by some fulvous-green 
hepatic. 
By the time the alder is twenty inches in diameter, and about twenty 
years old, the entire trunk is preempted by some form of moss, hepatic or 
lichen. The first, no doubt, to claim attention will be Graphis scripta, in 
quaint characters not unlike an Assyrian inscription, riddles for a natural- 
ist to decipher. Lecanora pallida and L. subfusca, whose apothecia show 
white and black by contrast, are suggestive of a new pattern of polka-dot. 
Lecanora orosthea is not abundant. Thelotrema lepadinum and Th. 
leprocarpum are truly leprous in appearance, and in contrast with them 
P lacodium cerinum claims attention. Just out of reach are some bronze 
spots, Panne lia olivacea, and near by, with its coppery-green, finely cor- 
rugated thallus, is Pari 7 telia pertusa. Some gray bits in low relief are Par- 
melia saxatilis with its characteristic branching. These may be easily 
removed with a sharp jack-knife, but care must be taken 10 cut away some 
of the epidermis and to put them to press immediately. Covering the roots 
of the tree are P lagiothecium elegans and Hylocomium loreum. 
Let us climb the tree on a wet day, for then must one gather his lichens 
or spoil many a fine specimen. Evernia prunastri gives out a strong 
scent of iodine, while you observe that the older parts are greenish, due 
probably to an alga, an alien. Near by is another ramulous plant, grayish, 
with soredia along the edges of the fronds, Ramalina farinacea. Farther 
inland, about the city of Portland, Ramalina ciliaris is found on the 
maple. That delicate waxv-white thing is Ramalina Menziesii. Had 
Menzies ever seen it he must have admired it. You break off a dead limb; 
on it is a miniature forest of Sphcsrophorus globiferus , which behaves 
somewhat like the Cladonias ; it is slow-growing and does not reproduce 
until several years old. On a larger branch within reach- is a modest Quaker 
in her soft-gray suit of slight pinkish tinge— is it gros grain silk? She 
belongs to, one of the aristocratic families, Cetraria lacunosa, so you will 
carefully remove this rare beauty. Cetraria ciliaris is occasionally found 
on the alder, but it seems to prefer higher timber like the spruce. The same 
is true of Parmelia physodes , and yet the juvenile forms are often seen on 
the lower parts of our trees. 
On the twigs may be found Physcia ste llaris, an interesting little thing 
whose apothecia do remind one of the stars. While in pursuit of this, the 
writer found a form of Parmelia olivacea to which Mr. G. K. Merrill has 
tentatively given the varietal name imparispora. Physcia hispida is abun- 
dant and with Theloschistes lychneus prefers trees standing apart, indeed 
the twigs of an old pear-tree in a yard were so densely covered with these 
last three forms that the£e was scarcely room for the buds. These Usneas 
