striate leaves, resembling those of a Bidymenia. Tiie young, nascent frond 

 has not been observed. *S'/icZ!«/<a occur in several stipitate, slightly sepa- 

 rated tufts, forming a crown to the phyllodia ; they are lanceolate, inroUed 

 at the point, and contain a double row of tetraspores. The colour, when 

 growing, is a very dark purple-red ; when dry, either brown or black, with- 

 out gloss. The snh&tance is coarse ; leathery when growing, rigid when 

 dry, in which state the plant does not adhere to paper. 



A remarkable plant, first described by Lamouroiix, under a 

 name which has been perhaps too fastidiously laid aside, because 

 it transgressed a Linnsean canon ; a canon, however, to which 

 modern botanists pay so little regard that it may be said to be 

 almost abolished by common consent. 



At Fig. 2, 3, 4, I have represented a state of this species not 

 previously noticed, but of which I collected several specimens at 

 King George's Sound. These specimens seem to throw light on 

 the early development of the frond, and would lead us to infer 

 that, in a very young condition, it had all the characters of a Dic- 

 tymenia, and therefore that it should be considered rather as a 

 remarkable form of that genus than as a separate type of struc- 

 ture. If this be so, we should have an instance among the Algae 

 of a condition something similar in idea to that of the Australian 

 AcacicB, which produce true leaves on the young plant, but after 

 a certain stage of growth, nothing ordinarily \>wi phyllodia. 



Fig. 1. PoLYPHACUM PROLiFEKUM. 2. Fragment of a leaf-bearing specimen : — 

 both the natural size. 3. Portion of one of the leaves of Fig. 2. 4. Cross 

 section of the same. 5. Portion of the apex of a fertile ^/<y//or/««;/, with 

 tufts of stichidia. 6. A stichidium. 7. A tetraspore : — magnijied. 



