SEA-WEEDS. 153 



scribes as like the sound caused by throwing fine 

 salt into the fire. Besides this, when in fructifica- 

 tion, the plant projects minute globules of water, 

 or some fluid, to the distance of several inches. 

 This phenomenon may be seen several times in 

 the same specimen, by alternately putting it into 

 the liquid, and removing it ; but as might be ex- 

 pected, the crackling noise is less audible the 

 oftener the experiment is repeated. There are 

 now known thirty species of the GrifBthsia; one 

 only belongs to tropical countries. Some very 

 lovely kinds are found in the Mediterranean Sea 

 and Australia, and several in the waters of the 

 Cape of Good Hope and Western Africa. They 

 are all, more or less, injured by being placed in 

 fresh water, or even exposed to air; and when 

 kept for a whole day in salt water, their colouring 

 matter will be ejected with violence. Their 

 favourite haunts are the perpendicular sides of 

 pools, where they are well shaded by the long 

 frond of the notched olive-green fucus, or the 

 strap-shaped Himanthalia, which often wave above 

 these and a number of other beautiful and delicate 

 marine plants. One very interesting fact is noticed 

 in one species, which grows on most of the rocky 

 shores of the Atlantic, from high northern lati- 

 tudes down to the tropical regions. When viewed 

 beneath the microscope, its blackish purple tufts 

 display strings of small pear-like substances, most 

 beautifully and symmetrically disposed, each 

 marked with a white cross, surrounded by a rich 

 red colour. And so all nature has its hidden 

 wonders its beauties revealed alone to the earnest 

 inquirer, as if to bid us search more deeply into 

 the works of God, and to come with humility 



