81 
LICHENS IN THE ISLAND OE BUTE. 
On another tree we find Physcia stellciris , var. tcnella; it is 
of a grey colour, and lias long cilia from the edges of its laciniae. 
We now come to a whole group of parmelias, the most 
conspicuous of which is P. caperata, wrinkled in the centre, 
rounded lobes on the margins, closely oppressed, and of an 
ochroleucous colour. Then a patch of P. perlata, of a greyish 
glaucous colour above and brownish-black beneath. Next we 
find, quite close to the bark, a specimen of P. olivacea ; as its 
name indicates, it is of a deep olive brown colour, but it is 
only found by close examination, as its dark colour so nearly 
assimilates to that of the tree. 
We now come to Parmelia physodes, one of the commonest 
of all our British lichens. It grows nearly everywhere, but 
here we find it abundantly on the trunks of trees, and in 
places almost covering the wayside palings. It is of rather a 
stiffish texture, of a whitish glaucous colour, and pitch black 
below. It is very various in the shape of the lobes of its 
thallus, sometimes being rounded at the apices, at others 
inflated, and sometimes formed into little horns open at the 
mouth and marked with a white soredia at the extremities. 
The whole of this group of parmelias is very seldom found in 
fruit, but high up the glen we found this one, P. physodes , 
with its cup-like dark brown fruit, and some specimens 
thickly covered with the spermogones, which may be recog¬ 
nised as minute black points on the surface of the thallus. 
And the last of this group is Parmelia saxatilis, which we 
find plentifully mixed with the preceding on trees and palings. 
It is of a greenish colour, and black fibrillose below; it may 
usually be distinguished by its surface being reticulated or 
marked by fine cracks. We also find here its two varieties— 
sulcata , in which the soredia appears in lines, with the edges 
of the ruptured thallus thrown up on each side of it; and 
furfuracea, in which the centre is covered with points, or, as 
it is called, isidiose ; and on the rocks near we find a third 
variety of a dark olive colour, P. saxatilis, var. omphalodes. 
We now emerge from the wooded glen on to the top of the 
hill, and the fresh mountain breeze is welcome and refreshing 
after our scramble up the valley; having admired the wide 
panorama that presents itself on all sides of us, we look 
amongst the grass and boggy ground, and find ourselves 
introduced into the group of Cladonias. Here is the familiar 
“ cup moss,” as it is called, C. pyxidata ; then the beautiful 
scarlet fruited 0 . digitata, var. macilenta ; then the quiet 
brown C. cervicornis ; then we find the hollow tubes of 
C. uncialis opening out into four points at the tops of their 
stems. 
