90 REPORT ON THE LICHENS OF EPPING FOREST.
When the moth is at rest it assumes a very remarkable position
in which it strongly resembles a dead and dry leaf still attached
to the stem. The front legs are stretched out straight in front
of the head at a right angle to the axis of the body, the second
pair of legs being pressed close to the body, whilst the last
pair just hold to the support, almost, or quite, covered by the
tips of the fore wings which just touch beyond the body, the
moth appearing to be clinging to its support by the front legs
and wings only. It falls to the ground when touched.
REPORT ON THE LICHENS OF EPPING
FOREST (SECOND PAPER.)
BY ROBERT PAULSON, F.R.M.S. AND PERCY G. THOMPSON.
[Read February 24th, 1912],
IN our earlier paper on this subject, Essex Naturalist,
vol. xvi., pp. 136-45, we adduced evidence to show that
the view held by the Rev. J. M. Crombie in 1883, as to the
condition of the Lichen-flora of Epping Forest was, happily,
not borne out by our experience. Our optimism has been
fully justified by two years' further experience. Crombie's
list of 85 forms, which he presumed to be the total number
of lichens then existing in the Forest, has been by far exceeded,
and our record to date comprises 109 fully-determined forms
which our researches have proved to be still extant within
the limits of the Epping Forest district. Moreover, our present
total includes not only a number of forms, in flourishing con-
dition, which Crombie variously described as "evidently ex-
tinct," "very rare," or "sterile and sparing," or which he himself
had not observed, but also some really rare forms which have
not hitherto been recorded by any observer from this locality
or from the County.1
In the light of these facts, although it would seem probable
that our list is now nearing the actual total of the present-day
lichen-flora of the Forest district, it would be folly to insist
too strongly upon this, as new discoveries are always possible
in the case of such inconspicuous plants. As an instance of
this, we need only cite the case of Gongylia viridis which, known
1 At the same time it should be noted that of our total number of forms several occur
only in small quantity and in scattered localities.