Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/379

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Chap. XII.]
COCKBURN ISLAND.
337
1843
Jan.

two out of five are new. There are seven Algae, and two of them, or less than a third, are new. Of six species of Lichen, four are already described, (perhaps five), so that only one, or at most two, can be considered peculiar.

"The twelve plants of Cockburn Island that are common to other parts of the world, may be arranged according to their greater or less diffusion; for while some may be seen in all latitudes, others are sporadic, appearing in certain remote spots; and a few are confined to the regions in the vicinity of Cockburn Island.

"The four following plants are the most generally dispersed:—Bryum argenteum, Ulva crispa, Lecanora miniata, and Lecidea atro-alba. The first is a very frequent British moss, found likewise in Arctic latitudes, in many parts of the tropics, and at the Falkland Islands. The second is an Arctic Alga, also abounding in the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere, in the tropics, and the Falklands. Lecanora miniata is an arctic lichen, and seen in all intervening countries down to Cockburn Island; while the other lichen (Lecidea atro-alba) inhabits Britain, sub-arctic Europe, and New Zealand.

"Of the sporadic plants which follow, it is probable that some may yet be discovered in intermediate stations, having either escaped observation from their minuteness, or been described as different species; they are two mosses, viz.