Allen : Three new Charas from California 303 



cortex, though no tendency to the formation of a secondary cortex 

 is seen in this species. This plant bears abundant oospores like the 

 dioecious species C. crinita A. Br. ; and the development of spines 

 and bracts is similar to C. crinita ; also in size it approaches that 

 species though it is much larger than C. crinita, which grows in 

 salt or brackish water in the eastern part of the country while C. 

 hirsuta A. grows in fresh water in California. There seems no 

 doubt as to its distinctness, though when gathered it seemed pos- 

 sibly a monstrous form of C. evolnta Allen, which has been found 

 in several places in northern California and British America, ex- 

 tending eastward into Montana and Dakota ; but this species is 

 only an inch or two high and in the northwest Provinces, espe- 

 cially in the Saskatchewan preferring the brackish water pools, 

 which abound there. C. hirsuta abounds in one extremity of the 

 pond at Lakeside, San Diego Co., Calif, the other end of which is 

 entirely monopolized by C. Nordhoffiae Allen. This species was not 

 noticed in other small pools in the neighborhood nor indeed else- 

 where in California. Lakeside is about twenty-five miles inland 

 from the coast ; its small lake is a favorite resort in the fall of 

 ducks which seem to be attracted by the immense masses of a pro- 

 fusely fruiting Potavwgcton (pcctinatits) which, after a few days, 

 disappears entirely, devoured by the wild ducks, who in turn vanish 

 under the continuous fire of the hunters who flock in swarms 

 after the canvas-backs. 



Char a gymnopus Sanctae-Margaritae 



The number of sub-species of this widely-different and variable 

 species extending from Africa to the warmer portions of America 

 is already large, but the form now noted cannot be assigned to 

 any hitherto known, and must be described as new. 



These plants grow in dense masses or " tufts'' 75-100 cm. 

 long, are bright green and moderately incrusted ; .75-1 mm. in 

 diameter ; spines very numerous near the terminal portions of the 

 stem, more scattered or absent entirely on the older stems ; rather 

 slender ; in length, less than half the diameter of the stem, about 

 450-700 /i long by 70 ft in diameter. 



Verticils of leaves becoming crowded near the apex of the 

 stems, where they overlap, forming dense masses of crowded leaves, 

 consist of 1 2 leaves : stipules, of the upper series, about 700 u 



