298 HISTORY or British zoophytes. 



to be inserted in the tube that passes through the middle 

 of the whole. The cells, in pairs, are thought by some to 

 have the appearance of the small pods of the shepherd^s- 

 purse ; by others, the shape of the seed-vessels of Feronica, 

 or speedwell." 



Dr. Johnston states that it is very rare, and that he is 

 indebted for his much-prized specimens to Mrs. Griffiths. — 

 I am rather surprised that it should so long have been 

 thought rare, for I am persuaded that in the south of 

 England it is far from being uncommon. The first speci- 

 men that I ever met with was on Kytiplilcea 2nnastroides sent 

 to me from Brighton by Mr. Pike, and as he had not men- 

 tioned that it was on the seaweed, I was delighted on dis- 

 covering it. I soon after received it from M. Tumanowicz 

 from Hastings, on the same seaweed; and, ere long, I 

 found several specimens on Basya coccinea, from Mr. Hall, 

 of Coggeshall, among seaweeds from the Isle of Wight; 

 then I received several specimens from Mr. Wigham, which 

 he had found on Kytiplilcca pinasfroides at Hastings, 

 and lately he sent me half-a-dozen specimens, saying, that 

 he had collected about a score at Cromer. Bytiphlaa pi- 

 nastroides seems its favourite weed, and it certainly makes 

 no great figure among its robust branches ; but from the 



