suspended amid the jelly, but attached to the inner side of the cortical 

 stratum by a plexus of filaments, and contain very narrow, linear-oblong 

 spores, surrounded by simple paranemata. Antheridia not observed. The 

 colour, when young, is a pale greenish-olive, in age changing to brown, 

 which is also the colour of the dried plant. Owing to its gelatinous con- 

 tents, the frond, if pressed, adheres closely to paper in drying. 



The present is one of those Fucoid genera which have no 

 distinct organs, the whole plant being referable either to " re- 

 ceptacle' or to "frond" according to the fancy of the describer. 

 Every portion produces abundance of spore-cavities, and any 

 branch, if compared with the receptacle of a Fucus, will be 

 found to have an essentially similar structure. 



Splachnidium rugosum has a much wider geographical range 

 than most of the other Southern Mucoids, and is the only one 

 found at the Cape of Good Hope, as well as in Australia. The 

 " Indian Ocean" locality is derived from an old herbarium, and 

 requires confirmation. 



Our figure represents the common form, as it appears before 

 having been dried. In drying it becomes much darker, and 

 wrinkled, — whence the name "rugosum' given by Linngeus, and 

 very applicable to the specimens to be found in old herbaria, 

 one of which is figured in Turner's plate. There is no trace of 

 rugosity in the growing plant, which is plump and full of juice. 



A small variety, scarcely one-third or one-fourth the size of 

 our plant, sometimes occurs. I gathered such abundantly at 

 Newcastle, N.S.Wales, and have also received it from New 

 Zealand. It is only distinguishable from the common form by 

 its size and narrow branches. 



As a genus, Splachnidium ranks next to Notheia, which differs 

 in its parasitic growth and solid frond. 



Fig. 1. Splachnidium rugosum, — the natural size. 2. Cross section of the 

 frond, showing spore-cavities imbedded in the gelatinous substance, and 

 attached to the walls. 3. Section of a spore-cavity. 4. A spore and 

 paranema : — the latter ligures variously magnified. 



