(28) 



ones larger. Substance soft and flaccid, closely adhering to paper in 

 drying. Capsules rather large, " conical," with flat base ; mouth suddenly 

 narrowed, truncate, perforated by a terminal pore for the escape of the 

 spores. Tetraspores triparted, imbedded in the uppermost branches. 

 Colovir a purplish red, frequently much varied, often bright and trans- 

 parent, not changing much in drying. 



One of om' most common and most beautiful Algae, occurring in 

 greater or less abundance almost on every shore, and frequently forming 

 a light, brightly-coloured, and often variegated drapery on the other- 

 wise naked sides of isolated rocks. 



Although pretty constant to its more minute characters, it is never- 

 theless subject to considerable variation in its ramification ; at one time 

 so excessively branched as to form a round inextricable mass, while at 

 other times it is so vaguely and sparingly divided, that one would at 

 first sight take it for a difi'erent species. It is a very common plant on 

 all our rocky coasts, but the fruit is by no means abundant ; the 

 tetraspores are more frequent than the capsules, generally extending 

 down into the principal branches, and when they do occur are generally 

 abundant. 



Small specimens of this plant have a great resemblance to Catenella 

 opimtia, but the likeness is only external ; even the colour is in general 

 a sufficient distinction, being in the present species a more or less bright 

 transparent red, and in Catenella a brownish purple. In the microscope, 

 the structm-e wiU be found quite different, as also the fruit, especially 

 the tetraspores, which in the present are triparted, in Catenella zonate. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE LXXV. 



Fig. 1. — Chylocladia articulata, natural size. 

 2. — Branch with ceramidia. 

 3. — Section of a ceramidium. 

 4. — Branch with tetraspores. 

 5. — Tetraspores. 

 6. — Section of frond. All magnified. 



