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filaments are cylindrical, and often much fascicled. Substance very soft 

 and gelatinous, closely adhering to the paper in drying. Colour, a fine 

 somewhat pale olive green. Fructification : roundish obovate spores 

 attached near the base of the filaments of the periphery, generally very 

 abundant. 



This pretty species seems very genei'ally distributed, frequenting the 

 shallow pools on low shelving shores, and preferring to grow on the loose 

 stones that frequently occur in these situations. The description in the text 

 applies to the ordinary form of the plant, but the varieties are numerous. 

 Occasionally we have seen it forming a continuous patch over the stone, 

 the stems covered with mostly short, simple branchlets, resembling the 

 ordinaiy ramuli ; at other times the stems are repeatedly divided and 

 copiously furnished with similar branchlets; while again we have seen 

 the branches numerous, long, and slender ; the ramuli few, short, and 

 mostly simple. This species is exceedingly soft and lubricous, so much 

 so that it readily slides out of the hand, and when spread out on the 

 paper, can hardly be removed from the water without being jumbled 

 into a mass. It is best managed by removing it from the water, then 

 spreading it out and drying it without pressure. The filaments of 

 the periphery form a beautiful object under the microscope, the tufts 

 of long, slender, moniliforai filaments being thickly dotted with the 

 roundish olive brown spoi'es. 



MESOGLOIA VIRESCENS. 



EXPLANATION OF DISSECTIONS. 



Fig. 1. — Portion of frond. 

 2. — Section of axis. 

 3. — Filaments of the periphery. 

 4. — Spores. All magnified. 



