SEAWEEDS. 143 



numerous, to the unassisted eye, simple branches, were 

 straight, and arose from the same point in the main 

 stem, thus forming; a larsre tuft an inch long, and nearly 

 as broad ; and lower down on the stem other such tufts 

 were planted ; this peculiarity of form enabled us t< i 

 identify our little weed as the Broom-like Sphacelaria 

 {Plate II, Jig. 9), a member of the family succeeding 

 that of Cladostephus, and distinguished from it by the 

 little branches or threads being pinnate, as the lens re- 

 vealed those on our weed to be in a double degree. 



Pretty tufts of dark brown were lying there with 

 feathered branches about an inch in length which made 

 beautiful pictures when floated out, these were plants of 

 the Feathery Splacelaria (Plate II, Jig. 10). 



Edward had found the Desmarestia Aculeata in Corn- 

 wall, the preceding February, beset with delicate olive 

 tufts but a few lines long, the minute branches simple in 

 form, but revealed to be pinnate, that is with a row of 

 threads on each side, when seen through a magnifying 

 lense. These were plants of the hairy Sphacelaria. 



S. Sertularia, Fusca, Puidicans, and Racemosa did not 

 come in our way. 



One more weed rewarded our search that day. It was 

 olive brown, and much entangled. The slender branches 

 were so interwoven that we could not disentangle them 

 even when they were floated in lukewarm water. This was 

 surely the Woolly Ectocarpus (E. tomentosus), and it had a 

 decided similarity to the delicate slender branches which 

 we had gathered off the tangles at Oban. These we 

 now floated out, and found that we had two species, both 

 very elegant in form ; the one a little more robust, more 



