177 



O.Y BONNEMAISOSIA HAMIFEBA, HARIOT, IN CORNWALL. 



By T. H. Buffham, A.L.S. 



{Read Nov. \5th, 1895.) 

 Plate IX. 



I was collecting marine alga3 at Falmouth, in Aug 1893 

 when I found floating in the sea a red plant which I failed to 

 identify on the shore. With the microscope, however, it was 

 seen to be a specimen of Bonnemaisonia, but of snch a bizarre 

 appearance as to raise doubts of its relation to B. asparagoides 

 Ag. Afterwards I picked up two other floating specimens 

 similar in size and appearance, although differing slightly in 

 the degree of development. The following notes are therefore 

 applicable to the three specimens. They were extremely 

 bushy, branching thickly, about 4 cm. (l£ inches) high, and 

 having a dense cortex of small cells. It was also noticed that 

 the ultimate ramuli were not arranged in the regularly disti- 

 chous order of B. asparagoides, although, as in that species, a 

 reproductive organ was almost always opposite to a ramulus. 

 The most noticeable feature, however, was the occurrence of 

 pseudo-cystocarps, some being of the normal form, with a 

 regular ostiole (ceramidium of the older authors), but many of 

 abnormal growth, and considerably distorted. I failed to find 

 any carpospores in these bodies, although procarps with tricho- 

 gynes of quite normal character existed in abundance 



I have noted (<< Quek. Jour.," Vol. v., ser. 2, p. 297) that in 

 a considerable number of specimens of B. asparagoides everyone 

 was monoecious, and it appears doubtful if any unmutilated 

 specimen, purely female, has been found. In the Falmouth 

 plants I could not detect any antheridia. I consequently 

 leaned to the conclusion that these were abnormal female 

 plants of B. asparagoides which had had no opportunity of 

 becoming fecundated by the approach of pollinoids. 



One specimen was preserved in a saturated solution of 

 sodium chloride, one in glycerine, and one was dried. Pressure 

 ot other algological subjects of study postponed any re-exami- 



Journ. Q. M. C, Series II., No. 38. 13 



