Ill o\ Mil. M.SMIDIE.E OF NORTH WALES. 



oN THE DESMIDIE.E OF NORTH WALES. 



Daring the unusually hot month of August of last year, I spent 

 several weeks at Capel Curig, making that place my centre, and 

 taking daily rambles in the neighbourhood extending to Bedd^elert. 

 Ffestiniog, the Ogwen Valley, and to every peak and ridge in the 

 of Snowdon, the Carnedds and thedyders; and, of course, 

 to the intervening valleys, with their streams and hogs, and to 



the wild in lands in which the district abounds. These latter 



are the especial haunts of those beautiful plants, the Desmidiea), 

 but tin- long drought which prevailed at that time had dried up most 

 of th.- pools aid boggy places in which they are to be chiefly sought, 

 and, on the whole, my gatherings were disappointingly few in number 

 and unproductive in kind, although here and there some rare species 

 was found. During these rambles, I had many times passed and 

 1 the little foot bridge which spans the river issuing from 

 Capel Curig lakes and leads across into the wooded slopes of 

 Moel Siahod, and had often lingered to watch the sportive movements 

 of the shoals of small fish which were constantly gambolling in tho 

 sun. On the last day of my stay. I was enjoying the dolce far niente at 

 this spot, and regretting mentally that next morning would seenie with 

 my neck in the accustomed collar, when my eye rested on certain small 

 bright green spheres among the weeds below, and I immediately 

 fetched a bottle and bore some of them off to my lodgings for cursory 

 examination. They proved to be masses of the well-known Infusorian, 

 Ophrydium versatile, but attached to or embedded in these were 

 several Desmidiesa new to me. ami on examining fragments of the 

 weeds which accompanied the Ophrydium, 1 found that these were 

 the nidus of still larger numbers of the Desmids. I had only time to 

 run down to the lake with two or three bottles, and to cram these 

 with myriophyll and other water weeds, and to take my departure 

 from these happy hunting grounds by the inevitable coach. 



On my arrival at home, this material was well washed out in a 



basiii of v. uter, and the resulting aediment transferred to several large 



bottles, and for some days frequent changes of water made, so as to 



get rid of the bulk of the slimy unstable vegetable matter which 



abounded. There remained a llucculent brown deposit at the bottom 



of each vessel, very rich in Desmidiese, and affording ample scope for 



man] evenings' work. This material proved extremely rich in those 



t, bul very puzzling plants, the Staurastra. A considerable 



number of Bpeoies, both of this and of other genera, are hitherto 



rded in England ; others have not been detected in any part of 



.: Britain, while several appear to be hitherto unknown. 



I have here gratefully to acknowledge the great kindness of Dr. 

 M. C. Cooke, to whom I have submitted either specimens or 

 drawings of the whole of these new or rare species, and who has not 



