THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
7
mountains. But the creatures which literally forced themselves upon
the attention were the mosquitoes. They practically never left one while
out of doors, and would bite viciously through stockings and even through
the fine stitching-holes in leather gloves. Specimens brought home have
been identified by Mr. F. W. Edwards, of the British Museum, as pro-
bably a variety of Ochlerotatus (Culex) nigripes, and closely related to our
British O. nemorosus. Luckily they did not trouble one indoors. Birds
were not very numerous, but a snow bunting feeding its young in the
nest on the stony slopes of Nuolja was an interesting sight, as although
this bird visits the British Isles in the winter, it never breeds here. Among
the more noticeable plants seen were willows of several kinds, rose-bay,
cotton-grass, golden saxifrage, campanulas, Polygonum viviparum, cloud-
berry, Empetrum nigrum, and Lichens in great abundance and variety.
The Lichens obtained during the visit to Lapland were determined and
studied by Mr. Paulson, and as most of the forms observed occur in Britain,
his report upon them is appended.
Both Mr. Scourfield and Mr. Paulson were most cordially thanked
for their services.
A large collection of the shells of ancient and modern Oysters was
exhibited, which had been presented to the Museum by Mr. Alfred Bell,
but owing to want of time Mr. Bell's paper on the subject was unavoidably
postponed.
Notes on the Lichens Collected by Mr. D. J. Scourfield, F.Z.S.,
during a Visit to Swedish Lapland, July, 1913.
By Robert Paulson, F.L.S.
These lichens were gathered chiefly because they were plentiful and so
forced themselves under the notice of the traveller. They probably
represent the more abundant terricolous and corticolous species of the
districts visited. The saxicolous plants are scarcely represented, as the
hammer of the geologist was not brought into play, for the expedition was
not primarily arranged with a view to collecting lichens.
Of those that have come under my notice, all but two of the species
are represented in the British Lichen Flora. They were collected either
near Jonkoping at the south end of Lake Vetter in south Sweden, at
Ratvik in central Sweden, or in the neighbourhood of Abisko on lake
Torne Trask in Swedish Lapland, lat. about 681/2° N. and at a height of
from 1,100 to 3,900 feet.
The list is as follows:—
On trees about Jonkoping Usnea hirta Hoffm.
Xanthoria parietina Ach. Ramalina fraxinia Ach.
On the ground, Ratvik Cladonia fimbriata Fr.
Cladonia gracilis Fr. Peltidea aphthosa Ach.
From Jebrenjokk 1,100 ft., Abisko, Torne Traske:
Cladonia fimbriata Fr. Cladonia macilenta Hoffm.
Parmelia laevigata Ach. Parmelia olivacaea Ach.
Parmeliopsis ambigua Nyl. Nephromium laevigatum Nyl.
Cladonia pyxidata Fr. Psoroma (Lecanora) hypnorum
Ach.