232 Miscellaneous. 
the presence of animal life in the thermal waters, Mr. Wm. Gabb, of 
the State Geological Survey, states that he has visited the locality, 
knows Mrs. Partz very well, and that whatever she says may be 
relied on as accurate. 
The colour of the dried specimen varies from a very elegant bluish 
green to a dirty greenish and fuscous brown. After somewhat 
prolonged soaking in hot water, the specimens regained apparently 
their original form and dimensions, and were found to be in very 
good condition for microscopical study. 
The plant in its earliest stages appears to consist simply of cylin- 
drical filaments, which are so small that they are resolved with some 
difficulty into their component cells by a first-class one-fifth objec- 
tive. Fronds composed entirely of filaments of this description were 
received. Some of these were marked as “first forms,” and as 
having grown in water at a temperature of 160° F. Probably these 
were collected immediately over the spot where the heated water 
bubbled up. At this temperature, if the collection made is to be 
relied on as the means of judging, the plant does not perfect itself. 
To the naked eye these “first forms” were simply membranous ex- 
pansions, of a vivid green colour and indefinite size and shape, 
scarcely as thick as writing-paper, with their edges very deeply cut 
and running out into a long waving hair-like fringe. Other speci- 
mens, which grew at a much lower temperature, exactly simulated 
those just described, both in general appearance and microscopical 
characters. 
These, I believe, were the immature plant. 
The matured fronds, as obtained by the method of soaking above 
described, were “ gelatinous membranous,” of a dirty greenish or 
fuscous brown at their bases, and bright green at their marginal 
portions, where they were deeply incised and finally split up into 
innumerable hair-like processes. Proximally they were one or even 
two lines in thickness, distally they were scarcely as thick as tissue 
paper. Their bases were especially gelatinous, sometimes somewhat 
translucent, and under the microscope were found to have in them 
only a few distant filaments. 
Two sets of filaments were very readily distinguished in the adult 
plant. The most abundant of these, and that especially found in 
the distal portions of the fronds, were composed of uniform cylin- 
drical cells, often enclosed in a gelatinous sheath. The diameter of 
such filaments varies greatly; in the larger the sheaths are generally 
apparent, in the smaller they are frequently indistinguishable. 
In certain places these filaments run more or less parallel side by 
side, and are glued together into a sort of membrane. It is only in 
these cylindrical filaments that I have been able to detect hetero- 
cysts, which are not very different from the other cells: they are 
about one-third or one-half broader, and are not vesicular, but have 
contents similar to those of the other cells. In one instance only 
was I able to detect hairs upon these heterocysts. 
The larger filaments are found especially near the base and in the 
other older portions of the frond. Their cells are generally irregu- 
