BY THE SEASIDE— PLANT LIFE 



cell, which has failed to fuse with a swimming body, 

 germinate. 



In the Bladder Wrack, a very similar process takes 

 place. There are, however, certain important dif- 

 ferences, differences which show that the plant is 

 still more highly developed. If we examine the 

 cavities, in the little warts of the Bladder Wrack 

 we shall find that some of them contain egg cells, 

 some contain male organs but none contain both. 

 We noticed that the egg cell of the Channelled 

 Wrack produced two eggs, that of the Bladder 

 Wrack produces eight. In other respects the two 

 plants behave similarly. 



The methods of increase amongst the red seaweeds 

 are rather more complicated and as our object is to 

 interest and not to puzzle our readers we will content 

 ourselves with a few general remarks. Microscopists 

 who are anxious to probe more deeply into the 

 subject will soon devise ways and means for them- 

 selves. The little swimming bodies which lend an 

 added attraction to the study of the brown sea- 

 weeds are replaced, amongst the red Algx, by 

 organisms with but one whip-like structure apiece 

 and that without the power of propelling its owner 

 through the water. As with Ectocarpus, increase 

 may take place in two ways. On these red plants 

 we may find the now familiar swellings, which we 

 have learned to know are spore cases, but instead 

 of the multitudes of free swimming organisms which 

 are set free on the bursting of the brown sea weed 

 spore case, we now witness the expulsion of but four 



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