142 SEAWEEDS. 



sea uttered its solemn response, appealing most touch- 

 ingl) T to " all that have breath," to " Praise the Lord." 



The first forenoon after our arrival found us on the 

 rocks below the castle, diligently seeking weeds. At 

 first we but picked up an occasional new one out of the 

 clear pools, but after a time we came upon a little plain 

 of sand among the red rocks, where ebbing waves had 

 deposited a perfect carpet of sea waste. These were 

 surely the weeds that had called themselves " lost," in 

 their song, and so the greater part of them remained : for 

 it was but a small portion that we could rescue from 

 oblivion. Yet what is "lost?" It is a good saying, 

 " That is not lost which a friend gets ; * and so the weeds 

 which went to enrich the neighbouring corn fields were 

 but little to be pitied. 



First we seized upon a stiff shrubby weed, which gave 

 us great trouble in drying ; "floating out r it wholly 

 disregarded, and we only overcame it at last by putting 

 it between strong paper, with a large stone on the top of 

 it. The branches were dark olive brown and woody, 

 and adorned at each line with a little tuft or whorl of 

 forked threads. This was the Whorled Cladostephus, 

 (Plate II., Jig. 8.) 



Near it lay a similar weed, with more clumsy but 

 softer branches, the thread-like foliage being longer and 

 crowded all over the branches. On closely examining it 

 the threads seemed quite simple ; its appearance agreed 

 with Harvey's description of the Spongy Cladostephus. 

 Thus we were in possession of both the British members 

 < >f the first family of Ectocarpacece. 



Another dark weed lay among that mass of wreck, its 



