SEA-WEEDS. 5 



together. His father told him that this tribe of 

 plants has been called BKITTLEWOKTS, on account 

 of their so easily breaking into fragments. 



"There is another order of algae," he .continued, 

 " where many of the plants are red, violet, or olive, 

 instead of green, although they are found in fresh 

 as well as in salt water. They are called confervce, 

 and some are remarkable for the colour they give 

 to the water. The Ked Sea appears to have derived 

 its name from the multitude of minute confervas 

 often seen floating in its waters. A French writer* 

 tells us that as he entered this sea by the straits of 

 Babelmandel, in July, 1843, he was astonished to 

 find the waters stained red, as far as the eye could 

 reach. Collecting some of the water, he found it 

 to be covered with a thin layer of a brickdust 

 colour. This layer changed in the course of the 

 day to a deep-violet colour, but the water itself 

 was tinged with a beautiful rose-pink." 



"I am glad they found out what it was," said 

 Henry, "for it must have looked very much like a 

 sea of blood." 



" Other families of these plants make the water 

 green, or brown, or violet," said his father; "so 



* Dupont. 



