DARK-COLOURED ALG.E. 129 



utmost diversity of form prevails, but in every 

 instance the structure illustrates in a striking 

 manner the admirable skill of the Great Artificer, 



All the marine plants are flowerless, and are 

 comprehended in the class Cryptogamia, to which 

 ferns, mosses, lichens, and fungi belong, and they 

 are themselves classified according to the prevail- 

 ing colour of their seeds. 



Thus the term Melanospermece is given to the 

 series of plants in which the seeds or spores are of 

 a dark colour ; Ehodospermece is the general title 

 of the series in which the seeds are of a red hue ; 

 and Chlorospermece is the name of the series in 

 which the seeds are greenish. One distinction 

 thus supposed to subsist is not sufficiently clear 

 without the consideration of other additional 

 particulars, by which each series may be distin- 

 guished from each other ; but to describe all such 

 minute particulars would be contrary to the 

 intention of this work. 



It is worthy of remark, that of the whole of 

 our marine plants each series now mentioned 

 embraces a different proportion. The first-men- 

 tioned series comprehends about one-fifth of the 

 whole number ; the second includes three-eighths, 

 and the third contains one-fourth. 



Observing the order now stated, we shall sup- 

 pose the reader to examine a few specimens from 

 each series. 



Of the Melanospet^mece there are specimens to 

 be found on every sea-shore. One of the most com- 

 mon is the bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus). 

 K 



