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branches. Substance rather soft and flaccid, adhering closely to paper. 

 Colour, a pale greenish brown when young, yellowish brown when old. 



This is one of our most common species, forming large, soft, almost 

 lubricous tufts on Fuel, or on almost anything that happens to be within 

 reach, and is generally distributed on almost all our shores in equal 

 abundance, and generally abundantly fruited. 



When young, and when floating in the water, the tufts of this species 

 are extremely beautiful, and very tempting to the collector, of a veiy 

 delicate yellowish brown, with a faint shade of green when young, but 

 which gradually disappears as the plants advance in age. 



The variety /3. is given on the authority of a specimen sent to Dr. 

 Harvey from Jersey, and which he describes as having long stalks if> the 

 fruit, but as otherwise identical. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE CLXXIV. 



Fig. 1. — Ectocarpus siliculosiis, natural size. 

 2. — Brancblet with fruit. 

 3. — Articulations of the stem. 

 4.— Fruit. 

 5. — Var. /3. from Phyc. Brit. All magnified. 



