RED ALG^. 245 



crispus, and other Algae, in pools, or below tide. 

 Its most usual form is that of a dense globose tuft, 

 from one to two inches in diameter, of a brilliant red 

 color. 



It is very easily seen and caught, as it comes float- 

 ing in upon the waves. Examined particularly, it 

 will be found fmer than human hair, of much the 

 same thickness throughout, branched by wide forkings, 

 the forks coming nearer and nearer together, toward' 

 the end of the frond, see Plate XIX., Fig. 2. 



The beautiful pink bands are, relatively to the 

 colorless interstices, very short. They are, in fact, 

 shorter than the diameter of the frond, so that under 

 the lens, they appear to be rectangular patches of 

 color, longer crosswise than lengthwise of the frond. 

 The white spaces between, shorten as we proceed 

 from the base to the top of the frond, thus bringing; 

 the colored bands closer and closer together. 



The filaments in the tufts are of the same general 

 length, as are also their several divisions. This 

 makes the tuft level-topped, and produces that globose 

 appearance which is so characteristic of the species. 

 It also causes that constant tendency of the plant, 

 when mounted on paper, to display its terminal 

 branchlets in some segment of a circle. This 

 difference in outline, the shorter and more uniform 



