113 ALG^E. 



The Melanospermece include the following orders : Fucacea, 

 Sporochnacea, Laminariacece, Dictyotoxece, Chordariaceae, Ectocar- 

 pacece. 



The Fiicaceir, which have for their type the genus Fucua, are all of 

 them marine plants. They are of an olive brown or greenish colour, 

 and very fine in their texture. The cellular structure of which all 

 the Algae are composed is in these plants hi a very condensed state, 

 assuming a leathery and sometimes even a woody character. The 

 base of their stem or stipes forms a dense shield-like root, whilst their 

 upper part is often expanded into a broad foliaceous appendage. The 

 reproductive organs consist of small black or very dark spores, which 

 are collected into sori or are found scattered on various parts of the 

 frond. These spores are enveloped in a thick gelatinous mucus, 

 which seems to be a provision for the purpose of attaching them more 

 securely to the rocks on which they grow in the midst of the restless 

 element to which they are constantly exposed. They are of very 

 rapid growth, and only a few months serve to cover a surface of 

 naked rock with a forest of various species of Fuci. Kelp is manu- 

 factured from the species of plants belonging to this section of A lyte ; 

 the one most commonly collected for this purpose is the Fucite 

 raicuiofus. Kelp is not now manufactured to any great extent in 

 this country, but a few years since it was a source of great wealth in 

 the Western Islands and the western shores of Scotland. [KELP.] 

 At one time the quantity made hi Scotland and its adjacent isles was 

 not less than 20,000 tons annually, which sold at the average price of 

 107. per ton. 



Of all the species, that which is the most common is the Fucui 

 venculofiu, great quantities of which are cast upon our coasts, and 

 which is known by its strap- 

 shaped, olive-green, forked divi- 

 sions, having little yellowish oval 

 uneven pods at then- point*, and 

 by the crackling noise it makes 

 when trodden upon ; a circum- 

 stance which is owing to its stems 

 having a considerable number of 

 air-bladders, by means of which it 

 floats. The structure of the pods 

 is highly curious. Externally they 

 consist of a hard rind, covered 

 with tumours, each of which has a 

 little hole in its centre. Internally 

 they contain a soft mucous sub- 

 stance, in which lie, next the rind 

 and immediately below its tumours, 

 a number of round balls (a). 

 These little balls are composed of 

 jointed threads (A) which hold 

 together a great many little oval 

 grains (c) enveloped in a sort of 

 jelly. These grains are the spores 

 by means of which the plant is propagated, and when ripe they are 

 discharged through the holes in the tumours above described. 



Although, from the simple structure of the Algce, we should not 

 expect that they would elaborate many of those secretions which in 

 higher plants are found subservient to the use of man and other 

 animals as food, yet among many of these a gelatinous matter is 

 secreted, which is nutritious. In Gothland, the F. veiicutosits is given as 

 provender to hogs, and hence is called Swine-Tang. Many other animals 

 will also eat this plant as food, in times of scarcity. It is also collected 

 in Jersey, and when dried is used as fuel. The fishermen both of our 

 own and the Dutch coasts use this Fucus and the F. terratu* for pack- 

 ing up their fish ; the latter is however preferred, as, from containing 

 less mucus, it is less likely to ferment. The Fuci were at one time 

 used considerably in medicine, as well as other forms of Algte, but 

 since the discovery of their active principle, iodine [IODINE, ENG CYC., 

 ARTS AHD 8c. Div.], they have been comparatively little used. Accord- 

 ing to Ecklon, the Laminarin buccinalit of the Cape of Good Hope is 

 the sea-weed that produces the greatest quantity of iodine. 



The fiargamum ralgare, or Tropic Grape, the Pucu* nataru of older 

 writers, is remarkable for the immense quantities in which it occurs in 

 certain portions of the ocean. It only grows within forty degrees of 

 the equator, on each side, although occasionally thrown up by currents 

 on our own shores. In some parts of the ocean it is so constant that 

 it is said to assist pilots in rectifying their longitude. It was the 

 occurrence of immense fields of these weeds that struck the sailors of 

 Colambtu with so much awe, and led them to suppose that Providence 

 had determined to frustrate their course, which nearly terminated in 

 the giving up of their great attempt to discover the New World. 



A laria aculenta, when stripped of the thin part, forms a part of the 

 KIIII pie fare of the poorer classes of Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark, 

 and the Faroe Islands. 



The ffporoc/inacett: are a small group, composed of the Scatter-Tuft 

 ' Ann*) and three other genera, which are remarkable for bearing 

 little tnft* of fine green filaments on the fronds. They are of an olive 

 or yellowish green colour : they become flaccid on exposure to the air, 

 acquiring a verdigris colour, and possess the property of decomposing 

 other A Igre with which they may come in contact. 



HAT. HIST. DIV. VOL. I. 



Fitctit vesiculustts. 



ALGJE. ill 



The Laminariacece, or Tangles, have a densely fibro-cellular structure, 

 and their spores are collected together in sori on the surface of the 

 frond. These plants are coriaceous or membranaceous hi structure, 

 and are little changed by exposure to the air. Some of them are used. 

 Laminaa-ia acvlenta is an edible species. It grows to the length of 

 20 feet, and the midrib, stripped of its membranaceous covering, is the 

 part that is eaten. L. saccharina, or the Sugar Sea-Belt, is said to be 

 eaten by the Icelanders. In Japan it is also considered a great delicacy. 

 L. digitata, or Sea- Wand, is eaten in Scotland, and is cried about the 

 streets of Edinburgh as Tangle. Many of the sea-weeds belonging to 

 this and other genera have been found to make excellent manure for 

 grass-lands. Kelp has in many instances been used, and it has perfectly 

 succeeded. It has been tried as a top-dressing, and singly or in 

 combination with other manures on corn, pasture, potatoes, turnips, 

 &c., with the best effect. 



To this section belongs the Chorda filum, Sea- Whiplash, or Sea- 

 Whipcord, which is often found 30 or 40 feet in length. The frond of 

 this plant is hollow within, interrupted at short distances, an arrange- 

 ment which appears to be for the purpose of enabling the plant to 

 float in the water, and thus securing the same end as the more highly 

 developed vesicles of Fucus vesiculosus. 



The Dictyotacece, or Sea-Networks, are a larger section than the last, 

 and are characterised by the beautifully reticulated texture of the tegu- 

 ment. Their fronds are of various forms, but all of them are ribless. 



The Ckorrdariacece and Ectocarpacece have their fronds formed of 

 jointed filaments, which are either free or united into a compound body. 



The Ectocarpacece are olivaceous or green marine plants; their 

 fructification is monoecious, the capsules external, and the globules 

 placed between swollen ramuli. It contains the genus Ectocarpu and 

 two others. 



The Jlkodospermece include the following orders : Rhodomelacece, 

 Laurenciacece, Corallinacece, Delesseriacece, Rliodyineniacece, Crypto- 

 nemiacece, Ceramiacece. These orders are distinguished by their 

 brilliant and little-fading tints, their leaf-like fronds, and the collection 

 of their spores into sori, or, if scattered, by the spores being arranged 

 on a ternary plan. The Chondrns criipm, or Carrageen Moss, belongs 

 to the order Cryptonemiacecv. In Ireland it is used extensively as an 

 article of food, and has lately been sold in London as a substitute for 

 Iceland Moss. It is frequently employed, instead of isinglass, for the 

 manufacture of blanc-mange and jellies. It has a slight bitter flavour, 

 which may be removed by steeping for some time previous to boiling. 



Another genus of the same order is Gelidium. A species of this 

 genus is said to be the substance collected by the swallows and 

 used in the construction of the edible nests of Java. Strange as 

 it may seem that a taste for birds' nests should exist among any 

 people, yet so strong is this taste in China, that the trade in birds' 

 nests forms a very lucrative and extensive branch of commerce. 

 Burnett, in his ' Outlines of Botany,' observes, " It has been estimated 

 that 242,400 Ibs. of birds' nests, worth in China 234,290i. and upwards, 

 are annually exported from the Indian Archipelago." The only pre- 

 paration the birds' nests undergo is that of simple drying, without 

 direct exposure to the sun; after which they are packed in small 

 boxes. They are assorted for the Chinese market into three kinds, 

 according to their qualities ; and the common price for birds' nests 

 of the first sort at Canton is no less than 3500 dollars the pecul, or 

 51. 18s. l^d. per Ib. ; for the second, 2800 Spanish dollars the pecul ; 

 and for the third, 1600. The collecting these birds' nests, according 

 to Mr. Crawford, is as perilous a toil as our fearful trade of gathering 

 samphire ; for he says, " The nests are obtained in deep and damp 

 caves, and are most esteemed if taken before the birds have laid their 

 eggs. The coarsest are those collected after the young have been 

 fledged. The finest nests are the whitest ; that is, those taken before 

 they are defiled by the young birds. They are taken twice a year, 

 and if regularly collected, and no unusual injury offered to the caverns, 

 the produce is very equal, and the harvest very little if at all improved 

 by being left unmolested for a year or two. Some of the caverns are 

 extremely difficult of access, and the nests can only be collected by 

 persons accustomed from their youth to the office. In one place the 

 caves are only to be approached by a perpendicular descent of many 

 hundred feet by ladders of bamboo and rattan, over a sea rolling 

 violently against the rocks. When the mouth of the cavern is attained, 

 the perilous office of taking the nests must often be performed by 

 torch-light, by penetrating into the recesses of the rock, where the 

 slightest trip would be instantly fatal to the adventurers, who see 

 nothing below them but the turbulent surf making its way into the 

 chasms of the rock." (Crawford's 'Eastern Archipelago.') 



Several other species of Gelidiwm are made use of as food, more 

 especially in the East, where they are added to dishes to render the 

 hot and biting condiments more palatable. 



The Iridea edulis, Edible Dulse, is a favourite food with many of the 

 <'i-n.iiiicea, as lobsters, crabs, &c. : it is also eaten by fishermen, both 

 raw and roasted. It is said to resemble in flavour roasted oysters. 

 The Jfalymmia palmata was at one time used as a masticatory, but 

 its use has been supplanted by tobacco. It is still, however, used as 

 a popular remedy in scorbutic and other cutaneous diseases. " To 

 the Icelanders it is a plant of considerable importance. They prepare 

 it by washing it well in fresh water, and exposing it to dry, when it 

 gives out a white powdery substance, which is sweet and palatable, 



