VOL. LVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS'. 467 



them evidently of your class of dicecia; that is, male parts of fructification on 

 one, and female on the other. 



The first of these is the conferva polymorpha, where in pi. 12, at fig. a, is 

 represented a very small branch of the female in its natural size, and at fig. a, 

 the same is magnified; in the ti-ansparent capsules of this specimen, we can 

 easily discover the seed as it lies expanded in a watch-glass in water. Letter b 

 represents the natural size of a small branch of the male ; and letter b the same 

 branch magnified, showing its amentaceous flowers, or catkins, with its minute 

 male seed in spikes; bi shows one of them highly magnified. 



The other conferva is the plumosa, and is one of our most elegant sub-marine 

 plants. Fig. c represents the natural size of a minute sprig of the female. At 

 fig. c, the same is magnified, where the seeds appear in their capsules. The fig. 

 d shows the natural size of a sprig of the male conferva plumosa; and fig. d the 

 the same sprig magnified, showing the spikes of male seed. 



The next is the conferva flosculosa, and is represented at fig. e, in a branch of 

 the natural size. Fig. e is the same magnified. This is one of those remark- 

 able confervas that has footstalks to its flowers or fructification. It appears to 

 have fruit like a strawberry or raspberry, surrounded by a leafy calyx. This was 

 found on the sea-coast, near Yarmouth in Norfolk, by George Whatley, Esq. 

 in the year 1764. When it was fresh, it was of a most vivid carmine colour. 

 The other with flowers, at fig. f, is the conferva geniculata. Fig. f shows the 

 same branch more distinctly, being magnified with flowers surrounding the joints; 

 this, with one which I have called in my catalogue of confervas, conferva flori- 

 fera, I discovered in the year 1754 near Brighthelmstone in Sussex, when Mr. 

 Ehret was so kind as to make drawings of them while recent. The colour of 

 this, when fresh, is a fine scarlet. 



The conferva plumula, at fig. g, is one of the smallest of the tribe, but most 

 elegantly feathered; it is of a pale red colour. The same is magnified at fig. g, 

 which shows the order that the fruit and branches are disposed in. g i shows 

 the fruit or seeds, which are of a red colour, surrounded by a clear gelatinous 

 pulp. 



The conferva at fig. h, I have called ciliata, from the circle of small fibres 

 at the top of each joint. The magnified drawing at fig. h, shows these tribes 

 like a crown on each joint. This was inserted here to show, with the rest, 

 some of the infinite variety of beautiful forms, which the great Author of Nature 

 has impressed even on one of the lowest classes of the vegetable tribe. 



Before concluding, I must observe; That as Dr. Pallas has likewise introduced 

 among his arguments, that the fruit of the fucuses are subanalogous to those 

 of the corallines, I could introduce an infinite variety to show the great 

 difference there is between them ; but this part of natural history, too long 



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