HOT WATERS OP CALIFORNIA. 249 



' Archlv fiir Mikroskopische Anatomic ' is a paper by Ferdi- 

 nand Cohu, of Brcslau, entitled " Researches on the Physio- 

 logy of the Phycochromaceae Florideaj." Therein, besides 

 mentioning many facts of interest to students of vegetable 

 physiology, he states that certain Oscillariae, namely, the 

 Beggiatoa (one of which, B. mirabilis, bends and twists itself 

 in a veiy remarkable manner, so that it prod^^ces vermicular 

 waves and a motion looking like the peristaltic action of the 

 bowels), which live in waters charged wdth sulphates at a 

 high temperature, and hence, during the process of their 

 growth, decompose the salt present and cause the evolution 

 of free sulphuretted hydrogen. In the abstract of Dr. Cohn's 

 paper in the ' Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science ' 

 the writer remarks that Dr. C. says, " Since this group of 

 alga? alone can flourish in hot and strongly saline solutions, 

 it is probable that the iirst organisms which were present in 

 the primordial sea which covered the earth, and was of very 

 high temperature, if we may reason from the deductions of 

 geologists, were Oscillariae, or rather Chroococcacete." Now, 

 in the hot springs of California there have been found Oscil- 

 lariaj probably belonging to this order, besides Diatomaceffi. 

 Prof. Whitney says ('Geology of California,' vol. i, p. 94), 

 *' Both the earth and the stream are highly charged witli 

 sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid, and the waters 

 hold in solution a great variety of salts, especially sulphates 

 of iron, lime, and magnesia; these salts, as well as crystal- 

 lized sulphur, are deposited over the rocks in the canon, 

 giving a peculiar and vivid colouration, which is perhaps 

 the most striking feature of the place.'^ This is also con- 

 iirmatory of the supposition of the growth of plants of this 

 kind in these springs, and it is easy to understand how the 

 sulphur can be eliminated from the sulphates, or even the 

 oxygen abstracted by the vegetation, during the period of its 

 life, and sulphides deposited. In fact, the dark-coloured 

 iron sulphide is particularly mentioned by Prof. Whitney as 

 found in abundance at the Geysers. Furthermore, in the 

 number of the ' liOndon Quarterly Journal of Microscopical 

 Science' for July, 1867, is a paper by Dr. Lauder Liudsay, 

 " On the Protophyta of Iceland," wherein he mentions that 

 in the Geysers of that country grow Conferva? and Diatoma- 

 cese, of which latter he enumerates seven genera, and says 

 " the abundance of diatoms in the thermal waters of Central 

 and Southern Europe warrants us in expecting large addi- 

 tions to the Icelandic Diatomacese from this source alone." 

 Now, it would be of extreme interest to ascertain in Avhat 

 way and to what degree the saline and hot waters affect 



