1881.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOUKj^AL. 



155 



from New Jersey to Eastport, Maine. 

 The descriptive part is preceded by 

 an account of the structure and clas- 

 sification of sea-weeds, which is clearly 

 written, and shows the Avork of an ex- 

 perienced student of the algse. An 

 artificial key to the genera is given, 

 which surely would be of great assist- 

 ance to any person visiting the sea- 

 shore, who, desiring to collect and to 

 name algje, lacks the necessary knowl- 

 edge of their structure and classifica- 

 tion. We are very much pleased with 

 this report, and most heartily com- 

 mend it to those who wish to begin 

 the study of marine algge. 



o 



Red Snow in Colorado. — The 

 following newspaper paragraph, which 

 we take from The New York Times, 

 indicates that the curious red alga, 

 known as Pi'otococcus nivalis — not an 

 animalcule, as asserted below — is not 

 uncommon upon our snow-capped 

 mountains : " In the almost inacces- 

 sible defiles of Mount Shasta, in Cal- 

 ifornia, is the only other known place 

 in the United States where this is 

 seen. In polar regions it is a familiar 

 sight, and no extensive traveller there 

 returns without a description of it. 

 The broad fields of everlasting snow 

 that flank the northern coast of Green- 

 land are flaked with the strange blood- 

 red, and further toward the poles 

 miles of it stretch as far as the naked 

 eye can reach. The phenomenon is 

 due to the presence of minute, red an- 

 imaculse in the snow. . A microscope 

 detects its presence, but how it got 

 there is a difficult question, and has 

 never been satisfactorily answered. 

 The red snow in this region is first 

 seen at the head of Cross Creek, 

 where it may be observed in patches 

 of intense carmine, varying in area 

 from as large as a man's hat to 20 feet 

 in diameter. Taken in the hand and 

 closely examined, nothing can be de- 

 tected that gives it color, and it melts 

 into clear, red water, leaving no stain. 

 Further on, in some of the steep 

 gulches with which the country 

 abounds, the bottoms are entirely 



covered with the strange substance. 

 In some places the color is vivid in 

 the extreme, while in others it fades 

 to a faint pink, producing an effect 

 not readily described, in words. Still 

 higher, and at the very foot of the 

 mountain, the red snow disappears, 

 and nothing save the pure white cov- 

 erlet greets the eye." 



o 



An Afternoon ON Passaic River. 

 — On the 25th day of last month the 

 Editor, in company with his former 

 colleague on the Qtiarterly, Mr. J. L. 

 Wall, escaped from the city and made 

 a trip to the town of Belleville, 

 on the Passaic River. A row-boat 

 was engaged, and we proceeded to 

 collect specimens from along the 

 shores. Not many species of algae 

 were found, nor was there any great 

 variety of animal forms, but the water- 

 plants, so hardy and useful in aquaria, 

 the Anacharis Canadensis and Vallis- 

 neria spiralis, were abundant. Reach- 

 ing over into the shallow water, it was 

 an easy matter to obtain perfect plants 

 of Vallisneria with good roots, and 

 we collected a number of them. The 

 Anacharis grows so readily without 

 roots that the more fresh looking 

 stems were carried home without re- 

 gard to the roots. An old can was 

 made use of to carry home some of 

 the river mud, in which to plant the 

 Vallisneria. The mud was placed in 

 the bottom of a tall specie jar, the 

 roots of the plant were properly em- 

 bedded, and the jar filled with water. 

 The next morning, after the water 

 had cleared by settling, the mud was 

 covered with a layer of clean sand, 

 which tends to prevent riling of the 

 water by a slight disturbance. All 

 the leaves of the Vallisnei'ia were re- 

 moved, so that a new growth might 

 start in the aquarium. It is probable 

 that we will thus obtain some vigor- 

 ous plants of Vallisneria for use dur- 

 ing the coming winter. The Anacha- 

 ris was simply thrown into a large 

 aquarium, where it will doubtless grow 

 without further care. Rowing about 

 slowly, a long, green, spiral filament 



