22 INTRODUCTION. 



the pinnated appendages at the base which contain the seed 

 of the plant. The specimens of common Tangle were gene- 

 rally only about two feet in lengthy whereas w^hen fully 

 grown they may be four feet and upwards. The specimens 

 of both these Algce were taken from that part of the rock 

 ■which had been dressed with the pick and chisel, before the 

 workmen left it in autumn, so that they had eyidently grown 

 from the seed ; and indeed it was observed that the sea- 

 weeds had grown more luxuriantly on the recently dressed 

 sandstone rock, than on those parts where the stumps had 

 been only trodden down. It appears, therefore, that the 

 seeds floating in the waves must have attached themselves 

 to the rock after the middle of November, and must have 

 vegetated and increased thus rapidly during a winter which 

 many are old enough to remember was one of great severity. 

 It is wonderful that so few have attempted the growth 

 of sea-weeds from seed, especially as Mr. Stackhouse more 

 than fifty years ago set the example, and showed that it is 

 quite practicable. The account of his experiments, were it 

 not rather too long, I would willingly extract from his 

 ' Nereis Britannica ' now before me. The substance of part 

 of it is as follows : — He got wide-mouthed jars with a 

 siphon to draw out the water without shaking it. On the 



