44 THE OCEAN. 



with a loud report. The seed-vessels are large, 

 oval, and yellow, resembling those of the last, placed 

 on foot-stalks. 



One gf the most common species of our coasts is 

 the long, string-like Sea-lace, or, as the Orkney 

 people call it, Sea-catgut (Chorda-Jilum). It 

 usually grows in water some fathoms deep, attached 

 to stones at the bottom, yet reaching to the sur- 

 face: indeed, it sometimes attains the length of 

 forty feet; and this is believed to be the growth 

 of a single summer, as it is an annual plant. Its 

 structure is highly curious ; at first sight it appears 

 a simple cylindrical tube, of an olive colour, about 

 as thick as whipcord, but occasionally thicker : on 

 examination, however, this hollow stem is found to 

 be composed of a flat thin ribbon, abouth one-sixth 

 of an inch in width, spirally twisted into a tube, 

 the edges exactly meeting each other, and adhering 

 with sufficient firmness to allow of the whole stem 

 being skinned without separating: in this state it 

 is twisted and dried, when it possesses a strength 

 and toughness that adapt it for fishing-lines. In 

 Norway it is collected as food for the cattle. The 

 upper portion usually floats on the surface, or rather 

 immediately beneath it, often in such abundance as 

 to form large meadows, as it w r ere, which obstruct 

 the progress of boats. The fructification of this 

 species long defied the investigations of botanists ; 

 but it is now ascertained to consist of little pear- 

 shaped capsules, imbedded in the surface, and much 

 crowded, which the gradual melting away of the 

 skin allows to escape. One of the most interesting 



