140 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



first of a dark green colour, when ascending to the 

 surface singly of a pale green, and when in a mass 

 of a pale blue, becoming ferruginous in decay. The 

 species was determined to be a variety of Anabcena 

 fios-aqiice, mixed in some places with ApJianizonienon!''^ 

 Professor Allman ^ appears to have met with the 

 same alga as that of the Ballydrain Lake, in the 

 Grand Canal Dock at Dublin — at any rate, specifi- 

 cally the same, with some varietal modifications. It 

 was in October, 1842, that he observed a substance, 

 of a pea-green colour, abundant in the water of the 

 docks. This substance was unequally distributed, 

 being in some places collected in large quantity, 

 while in others the water was quite free from it. It 

 consisted of flocculent, unattached masses, varying 

 much in size and occupying very different depths, 

 some floating upon the surface, while others were 

 observed suspended in the water, and might be traced 

 downwards till the depth alone concealed them from 

 the sight. The general appearance of these masses 

 might remind one of certain substances in the act of 

 precipitation, or of the curd of milk when diffused 

 through the uncoagulable part of the fluid. In some 

 places the green matter had been left by the retiring 

 water upon the stones of the margin, and, here drying, 

 had assumed a beautiful bluish-green or verdigris 

 colour, without lustre. On visiting the docks at 

 different periods, it was observed that the substance 



* Detailed account in Annals and Magazine of Natural History lor 

 April, 1840, p. 75. 



* "On a New Genus of Algx," by G. J. Allman, in Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History, March, 1843, p. l6l. 



