74 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISII AND FISHERIES. 



judged from the figure, is the same as E. Farlowii. Although in the present instance 

 we have considered E. Farlowii to be a variety of E. littoralis, it must he admitted 

 that it differs considerably from the form of E. littoralis common on the coast of 

 France and England. Our reason for not considering it distinct is that we have large 

 sets of specimens in which we have been unable to say with certainty whether they 

 should be referred to E. littoralis or E. Farlowii, and with so many connecting links it 

 seems best "to regard E. Farlowii as an extreme form found in northern localities. 

 Should the variety be eventually considered distinct the name of E. anticostiensis should 

 be adopted, as no description of E. Farlowii has been published, and the species would 

 be characterized by the robustness of the filaments and by the unilocular sporangia, 

 which are broader than long, and borne iu short, stout, patent branches. It is of fre- 

 quent occurrence that some of the unilocular sporangia are binate. The plurilocular 

 sporangia are common in spring and early summer, and the unilocular in the autumn. 



E. braciiiatus, Harv. 



" Finely-tufted, feathery, much branched ; the branches free, opposite 

 or quarternate ; ramuli opposite, very patent; propagula forming' ob- 

 long or elliptical swellings in the smaller branches, or at the point 

 where two opposite ramuli issue." (Harv., Ner. Am. Bor., Vol. I, p. 138.) 



South Boston, Lynn. Mass., Harvey. 



We have never found this species, which is only known on our coast from Harvey's 

 description. Le Jolis considers that the E. brachiatus of the Phyc. Brit., PI. 4, is not 

 the true Conferva brachiata, Engl. Bot., and he gives to the former the name of E. 

 Qriffithsianus. Never having seen American specimens, we cannot tell whether the 

 American form mentioned by Harvey belongs to the E. Griffithsianus or not. 



Subgenus CAPS1CARPELLA, Kjellman. 



Filaments erect, monosiphonous or in part polysiphonous; unilocular 

 sporangia partly immersed in the frond ; plurilocular sporangia formed 

 by direct transformation of the cells of the branches. 



E. sphjerophorus, Harv., Phyc. Brit., PI. 126. (Capsicarpella splice- 

 rophora, Kjellman, Bidrag, p. 20, PL 1, Fig. 2.) 



Filaments one to three inches long, tufted, densely branching ; main 

 branches opposite or whorled, often polysiphonous; secondary branches 

 opposite or alternate, monosiphonous ; unilocular sporangia spherical, 

 about .04™" in diameter, solitary, often binate, sometimes whorled, the 

 cell from which the sporangia are formed dividing into at least three 

 cells ; plurilocular sporangia i 



On Ptilota elegans. May. 



Nahant, Mr. Collins ; Europe. 



A rare species which has only been collected by Mr. Collins. The main filaments 

 are at intervals polysiphonous, and remind one of a Spliacelaria. In Mr. Collins's speci- 

 mens the sporangia were numerous and in some cases whorled, as is occasionally seen 

 in European specimens. The species is to be sought in spring and early summer, and 

 may be commoner than is now supposed, having escaped the observation of collectors 

 on account of its small size. 



