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moist rocks, damp soil, or the bark of trees. He then proceeded to give the 

 best general description available of what were the principal attributes of 

 Algae, as distinguished from Fungi and other of the cellular Cryptogams, at 

 the same time intimating that no brief definition would be absolutely per- 

 fect and without exception. 



II. Distribution. — The places in which to find Fresh Water Algae were 

 stated to be those in which a constant state of moisture was pi*esent, such as 

 the dripping face of rocks, damp walls ; flower-pots, benches, and walls in 

 conservatories and hot-houses ; water-tanks and cisterns ; small streams of 

 waste warm water from factories and steam engines ; ground often inun- 

 dated, or subject to the overflow of tides; little pools and ponds ; stagnant 

 or slowly-flowing ditches and streamlets ; dead submerged plants, branches, 

 timber and stones ; and amongst moss and sphagnum in bogs. It was little 

 better than waste of time to seek for Algae in swift streams or torrents, 

 save on the rocks in their vicinity which were subject to the spray, or 

 steady dripping. 



III. Collection. — But little preparation and but few implements were 

 required for their collection. Those on the face of rocks or walls could be 

 best removed by a flexible palette-knife, such as used by artists. An iron 

 spoon was very useful in skimming floating Algae from small pools amongst 

 sphagnum, particularly such as Desmids. The ordinary collecting bottle 

 and stick would be often useful for dipping amongst the vegetation in ponds, 

 and a small net of muslin, stretched over a metal ring of some six inches 

 diameter, and mounted on a collecting-rod, would assist in collecting the 

 floating scum and filamentous Algae on the surface of ponds. Hooks and 

 drags were of little use, as the majority of the filamentous Algae are only 

 attached in the early part of their history, becoming detached and floating 

 previous to fructification, when only they could be satisfactorily determined. 

 In addition to collecting tubes, in which each gathering should be kept by 

 itself, he recommended small squares of thin gutta percha tissue, to be 

 obtained at any indiarubber or gutta percha shop, and cut to about six inches 

 square, as exceedingly useful both for collection and transmission by post. 

 When folded the contents would remain moist and fresh for several days, 

 Failing this, even squares of firm writing paper would answer admirably, 

 but the specimens should be taken out and transferred to water on reaching 

 home. 



IV. Examination. — Small white artists' saucers were recommended to 

 receive each " gathering " at the close of the day. Algae collected from 

 soil or rocks should be cleared as much as possible from fragments of sand. 

 Filamentous Algae could be transferred successively to clean waters to re- 

 move all extraneous matter. A bunch of Sphagnum shaken in a bottle of 

 water, and then removed, would often leave behind a good collection of 

 minute floating species. Large species may be picked out from a saucer, 

 with a clean camel-hair pencil, by using a pocket lens. Only clear water 

 requisite to examine provisionally the gatherings under a microscope. Re- 

 commended to use first a 2-inch or 1-inch objective, and then A-inch. The 

 demonstrator always had two small working microscopes beside him, with 

 these powers, and had only to pass from the one instrument to the other, 



