4 CLASSIFICATION. 



we meet with among Rhodosperms ; so that, on the whole, 

 it is doubtful whether to the olive or the red series belongs 

 the first place. I am more inclined, assuming the Chloro- 

 sperms as a base, containing what we may regard as the first 

 idea or rude sketch of the class, to regard the Melanosperms 

 and Rhodosperms as parallel developments or branches, 

 springing from nearly the same point, and extending in op- 

 posite directions. 



And were we to exhibit the classification of Algae in a dia- 

 grammatic form, we should place the groups as follows : 



The characters of the three sub-classes of Algse are as fol- 

 lows (we take them in the order in which we propose to 

 describe them) : 



1. MELANOSPERME^E. Plants of an olive-green or olive- 

 brown colour. Fructification monoecious or dicEcious. 

 1. Spores olive-coloured, either external or contained 

 singly or in groups in proper conceptacles ; each 

 spore enveloped in a pellucid skin (perispore), simple, 

 or finally separating into 2, 4, or 8 sporules. 2. An- 

 theridia, or transparent cells filled with orange-co- 

 loured, vivacious corpuscles, moving by means of 

 vibratile cilia. Marine. 



