SEA-WEEDS. 139 



prefers a shaded situation, nearer the ebb-tide. 

 This is the sea-weed which was sold in Edinburgh 

 very generally with the dulse in former days. It 

 is still carried about for sale in Inverness as the 

 pepper dulse, and much relished in its raw state 

 by the Highlanders. Lightfoot says that it was 

 formerly eaten as salad. Dr. Johnston observes of 

 this, that the custom is not likely to be revived, 

 both the taste and odour of the plant being dis- 

 agreeable ; to the English generally they are re- 

 markably so, though the pungency in the young 

 plants is very slight. 



But turning from a sea-weed which is less 

 beautiful than useful, we must describe that most 

 lovely of all our British marine plants, the Red 

 Dock-leaved or Blood-coloured Fucus (Delesseria 

 sanguined], a plant which may easily be recognised 

 by a familiar description. It is in its most beau- 

 tiful state during the summer, and a very common 

 marine weed on most of our shores after rough 

 weather. It has a stem scarcely an inch long, 

 dividing thence into two or three branches about 

 the thickness of a crow-quill, which bear a number 

 of clear shining pink leaves, each with a vein up 

 the middle, and about five or six inches long ; but 

 in fine specimens ten inches in length. This 

 plant is very lovely when waving its leaves about 

 in the water, and if well dried it scarcely loses any 

 of its beauty on paper. Like all the more delicate 

 kinds of sea- weeds, it should be washed in fresh 

 water, and then laid on paper, in a flat dish, in 

 water about an inch deep. Care should be taken to 

 dispose it in its natural form on the paper, with a 

 needle or camel's-hair brush, and to remove any 

 sand or other extraneous matter which may 



