61 



coarse and almost shapeless masses, and very diifferent in 

 appearance to the delicate sheets and ribbons, which the 

 Tasmanian conferva weaves from its dead or dying filaments. 



How this weaving process is carried out, or why the sheets 

 should always present the same form and appearance is 

 altogether unknown. 



The following is the letter from Baron von Miieller alluded 

 to in the above paper : — 



" So far as I can judge from the bleached and partly decayed 

 state of the specimens sent by you, the matted algic substance 

 occurring in fresh water at Hobart Town is either Agardh's 

 Conferva homlycina or a species allied to it. The cells or 

 joints are almost double the size of those of 0. lomhycina in its 

 ordinary state, but I possess Danish specimens quite as large. 

 The discovery of C lombycina would not come suprisingly in 

 Australia, as I have shown many years ago the likewise widely 

 distributed C. floccosa to occur in fresh waters near Adelaide. 

 The limits of allied species are not well defined in reference to 

 cell contents ; nor do your specimens admit of close examina- 

 tion in that respect. Your conferva is evidently also nearly 

 allied to C. Sandvicensis of Gaudichaud. The internal organi- 

 sation of the cell serves probably better for distinction than 

 the size and form of the cell walls, which I found always very 

 variable, as might be expected from the varied circumstances 

 under which such kind of plants occur ; whether temperature, 

 or depth, or pureness of water is concerned. 



" Possibly among the matted masses sent by you may be 

 remnants of a Cladophora and also sterile portions of an 

 Oedogonium. 



" I have found here occasionally enormous sheets of similar 

 constitution to what you sent, in swamps ; these masses in 

 dry seasons, after the evaporation of all water, would cover the 

 bottoms of lagoons with a thick felt, so much so that I could 

 obtain it by cartloads, finding the substance excellent for being 

 converted into the best of filtering paper. 



*' Feed. Von Mueller." 



