466 



indeed as scarcely to be distinguished from them. In the autumn 

 of the present year I collected specimens of the latter plant, in Loch 

 Ryan, which I thought conclasively established Agardh's view of the 

 question. A few days afterwards, however, I was most agreeably sur- 

 prised to observe in the collection of Mrs. Captain Maynard, at Stran- 

 raer, a specimen of Fucus Mackaii bearing receptacles ; so that the 

 doubts which have so long hung over this interesting plant, are now 

 at an end. 



The specimen (I regret to say it was a solitary one) was communi- 

 cated to Mrs. Maynard by Dr. Lindsay from the Isle of Skye. 



The specific character of Fucus Mackaii may now be expressed 

 as follows. Frond coriaceous, cylindrical or subcompressed, linear, 

 irregularly dichotomous : vesicles (when present) innate, elliptical, 

 solitary; receptacles in pairs, ovate-oblong, terminating the lateral 

 branches. 



The annexed figure, copied from the drawing which I made at the 

 time, of this unique specimen, will render any further description 

 unnecessary. R. K. Greville. 



Edinburgh, December, 1842. 



Art. CXV. — Note on a supposed New British Cuscuta; by Charles 

 C. Babington, Esq., M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. Communicated, 

 with Additional Observations, by G. S. Gibson, Esq.* 



I FULLY intended to forward C. C. Babington's notes on the 

 Cuscuta (Phytol. 412), but have delayed doing so in the hope of 

 obtaining clearer information as to the countiy from which the clo- 

 ver-seed came ; but after considerable enquiry have not succeeded 

 satisfactorily. The following are C. C. B.'s remarks upon it, any part 

 of which you are of course at liberty to insert in ' The Phytologist.' 



" I this morning received your letter, and immediately submitted 

 the Cuscuta to the microscope. It certainly differs considerably from 

 C. Epithymum, and I suspect will prove to be a new species, for 1 

 can find no notice of it in the continental works, I am not, however, 

 prepared to give it as new, without more acquaintance with it than 

 I have yet obtained. I beheve that C. Epithymum is confined to 

 shrubby plants, such as Ulex, Erica and Thymus. I add the cha- 



* In a letter to E. Newman. 



