THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 121 



of it to the Irish, they have not yet learned to prefer it cooked. Oc- 

 casionally, however, it is fried. 



Chondrus crispus, the Carrageen or Irish Moss of the shops, is dis- 

 solved, after long boiling, into a nearly colorless insi])id jelly, which 

 may tlien he seasoned and rendered tolerably palatable. It is con- 

 sidered a nonrishing article of diet, especially for invalids, and has 

 been recommended in consumptive cases. At one time, before it was 

 generally known to be a very common plant on rocky coasts,^ it 

 fetched a considerable price in the market. Though called "Irish 

 moss," it is abundant on all the shores of Europe and of the northern 

 States of America. It is, perhaps, most palatable when prepared as 

 a blanc-mange with milk, but it should be eaten on the day it is 

 made, being liable, when kept, to run to water. Its nourishing quali- 

 ties have been tested, I am informed, in the successful rearing of 

 calves and pigs partly upon it. 



Many other species, particularly various kinds of Grigariina and 

 Gracilaria, yield similar jellies when boiled, some of Avhich are excel- 

 lent, 



Gracilaria liclienoides , the Ceylon Moss of the East, where it is 

 largely used in soups and jellies, and G. Spinosa, the Agar-Agar 

 (or Agal-Agal) of the' Chinese, are among the most. valuable of these. 

 They are extensively used, and form important articles of traffic in 

 the East. Another species of excellent quality (the Gigartina speciosa 

 of Sonder) is collected' for similar purposes by the colonists of Swan 

 river. 



It was at one time supposed that the famous edible birds' nests of 

 China, the finest of which sell for their weight in gold, and enter into 

 the composition of the most luxurious Chinese dishes, were constructed 

 of the semi-decomposed branches of some Alga of one or other of the 

 above-named genera ; but it has since been ascertained that these 

 nests consist of an animal substance, which is supposed to be dis- 

 gorged by the swallows that build them. 



Neai-ly all the cartilaginous kinds of IlhodospermefB will boil down 

 to an edible jelly. One" kind is preferred to another, not from being 

 more wholesome, but from yielding a stronger and more tasteless 

 gelatine. The latter quality is essential ; for though the skill of the 

 cook can readily impart an agreeable flavor to a tasteless substance, 

 it is more difiicuk to oveicome the smack of an unsavory one. _ And 

 the main quality which gives a disrelish to most of our Algro-jellies 

 and blanc-manges is a certain bitterish and sub-saline taste which can 

 rarely be altogether removed. 



Very few Algfe have been found agreeably tasted when cooked, 

 though Dillish and others are pleasantly sweet when eaten raw. Many 

 which, when moistened after having been dried, exhale a strong per- 

 fume of violets, are altogether disappointing to the palate. 



Perhaps, after all, the most valuable as articles of food are the va- 

 rieties oi Porplujra vulgaris and P. laciniata, which, in winter, are col- 

 lected on the rocky shores of Europe, and by boiling for many hours 

 are reduced to a dark brown, semi-fluid mass, which is brought to 

 table under the name of marine sauce, slohe, slouJc, or sloucaicn. It is 

 eaten with lemon-juice or vinegar, and its flavor is liked by most per- 



