INTRODUCTION. 7 



the people who have Hved by the sea, have, as a 

 genera] thing, cared very little for the "Sea 

 Weeds," and have deigned to give names to but a 

 few of them. So it has been left to the botanist to 

 christen them from his Greek and Latin vocabulary. 

 For each plant he has provided two names, a "sur- 

 name," and a "given name." The former answers 

 to the name of the genus, and is the family name ; 

 and the latter is the individual name, or the name 

 of the species. But he writes it with the generic or 

 family name first, and the " given name " last. In 

 his usage it is "Smith John," not "John Smith," as 

 in common parlance. Thus Rhodymenia palmata 

 and R. corallina, may be considered sisters, the first 

 being the family name, and the last two the " given 

 names " by which they are known in the family circle. 

 Do not be discouraged on account of these hard look- 

 ing names. They are no harder to remember, or to 

 pronounce, than the names of your personal friends, 

 Mrs. Eliza Watson Thompson or Mr. George Washing- 

 ton Jones. When from affectionate interest and ac- 

 quaintance, you are able to number these beautiful 

 creations of Nature among your friends, you will find 

 it perhaps easier to recall their names, than those of 

 your more fashionable acquaintances. For you will 

 find that these names mean something as a personal 



