During this visit Murray also met with Peter James, a lichen specialist at the Natural History Museum, London.
They began to define the genus Sticta more precisely, distinguishing it from Pseudocyphellaria and also other groups such as Menegazzia, Nephroma, the Pannariaceae and the Parmeliaceae that contained more species in the Southern Hemisphere.
Murray also visited several other lichenologists in France and Sweden including Henri Des Abbayes, Michael Mitchell, Greta Du Rietz, Adolf Hugo Magnusson, Gunnar Degelius, Rolf Santesson and Einar Timdall.
[2] After his death, his lichen specimens (over 10,000), notes and papers were donated to University of Otago and Peter James was seconded in 1962 to curate the collection.
Murray's work on the natural products of lichens contributed to developments in this area and also became important to definition of genera in the Lobariaceae.