6 Mindeskrift for J. Steenstrup. XXXII. 



II. The floating Sargassum found in 

 the Sargasso Sea. 



Sauvageau in his interesting paper: "Le Sargassum bacciferum, la mer des Sar- 

 gasses et rOcéanographie" *) protests against the frequently incorrect or contradictory 

 statement s given in Oceanographies and similar works, deahng with the hfe and origin 

 of the Gulfweed. He writes: 



„II serait regrettable que cette notion absolument erronée, propagée par des océanographes, 

 puis adoptée sans controle par de notables naturalistes, devint classique. 



En réalité, on ignore complétement d'ou viennent les S. bacciferum de la mer des Sar- 

 gasses. Rien ne prouve non plus qu'ils soient arracliés aux cotes, puis modifiés dans leur con- 

 stitution, car, bien que la determination spécifique de la plupart des Sargassum présente de grandes 

 difficultés, les botanistes n'admettent aucune forme de passage reel de S. bacciferum å d'autres 



espéces Ainsi, ou bien le S. bacciferum vit å l'état fixe, dans une contrée insoup9onnée 



d'ou des courants inconnus transportent au loin presque uniquement des individus stériles, ou 

 bien il végéte å l'état flottant depuis un temps immémorial, et se maintient par bouturage 

 naturel," 



In the subsequent pages I shall try to show that this last mentioned supposition 

 of Sauvageau holds good, and that it is especially due to the idea of a single author''') 

 that this incorrect view has been introduced. 



Having visited the Danish West Indies three times I have had the occasion to 

 cross the Sargasso Sea several times, and in different piaces, coming from various ports 

 in Europe; or from St. Thomas to the Bermudas. During these voyages I have had a 

 good opportunity to become acquainted with the floating Gulfweed and to make col- 

 lections. 



I shall now begin with a systematic treatment of the forms collected, and after- 

 wards I shall try to throw some light upon the biology of the Gulfweed, its affmities 

 and origin. 



A. The species found by the writer in the Sargasso Sea. 



The floating, pelagic forms collected by the writer in the Sargasso Sea may be 

 referred to only two species namely the well-known Sargassum bacciferum = Fucus 

 natans Linné and a more coarse form which I consider a variety of Sargassum 

 Hystrix. 



^) Comptes rendus des seances de la Société de Biologie, T. LXII, 1907, p. 1082. 

 ^) KuNTZE, o., Revision von Sargassum und das sogenannte Sargasso-Meer (Englers Bot. Jahrb., 

 1. Bd., 1881, p. 191). 



