the Britijh Fuci, with particular Defer ipt ions of each Species. 91 



depends upon the judgments of the various botanifts who (hall 

 read and ftudy his obfervations. See his plate oxY.fcnatus in Acl. 

 Pari/. 1772, part 2d, pi. 3, f. 5 and 9. 



Cryptogamic investigation was not Linnxus's excellence — the 

 truth of this appears no where more than in the Alg,c aquaticcc. In 

 the fynoptic table of Syft. Natura- at the head of his clafs Crypto- 

 gamia he defcribes them — 



tfremclLi — A. gelatinofa 



Viva — A. membranacea 



Fucus — A. coriacea 



Conferva — A. capillaris. 



In the body of the work they are defcribed from the fructifica- 

 tion — 



Tremella — Fruclijicationes vix manifejla: in corpore gelatinofo. 

 Ulva — FrutlijicaUones in membrand diaphand, 



Fucus — Mafc. Vejiculce villis intertexfa*. 



Fcem. Vejiculce adfperfce gram's immerfis apice pro mi- 

 nulis. Semina fditaria. 

 Conferva — Tubercula incequalia infbris capillaribus longijfimis. 



The difcrimination in the fynoptic table need not engage our at- 

 tention one moment ; it does not hold true, neither has it any 

 thing to do with the fexual fyftem, by which all ought, and, it 

 fhould be apprehended, may be determined, at leaft to a certain de- 

 gree. 



In refpect to the defcriptions of the fructification in the body of the 

 work, we muft object to the character of Fucus for the fame reafon that 

 Gmelin does to Reaumur's male flowers. They have no appearance 

 of anther a, and the villi appear evidently to be nothing more than 



N 2 the 



