154 SEA- WEEDS. 



even to the lowliest weed of the rock, to ask a 

 lesson of his skill and care. 



The cause of the peculiar startings in the bristly 

 GrifBthsia, are explained by Dr. Drummond. 

 The joints of the sea-weed are full of a coloured 

 fluid, and while in its natural condition, the 

 partitions between the joints remain perfect ; but 

 no sooner does it come in contact with the fresh 

 water, than these partitions burst, and the con- 

 tents of one joint is exploded into the next ; while 

 at the same time the colouring matter loses its 

 usual tint, and curdles into grains. From the 

 force with which the fluids issue through the 

 partitions in the joints, the sides also of some of 

 them become rent, and then at every new starting 

 a quantity of colouring matter rushes from these 

 rents into the water. " The latter explosions/' 

 observes Dr. Drummond, "present under a com- 

 mon magnifier, an extremely interesting appear- 

 ance. They are instantaneous ; and when the 

 projected fluid has attained its extreme distance, 

 the colouring matter suddenly settles in a crowd 

 of dark grains, so as to give not an unlively idea 

 of a bomb-shell in the act of bursting. Sometimes 

 several of these occur in rapid succession, and 

 again half a minute or more intervenes between 

 them." It is most interesting to watch this pro- 

 cess, which may be observed, in any fine specimen 

 of the plant, with the naked eye or with a com- 

 mon magnifying glass. Dr. Drummond observed 

 a similar phenomenon in fresh specimens of the 

 Dotted Nitophyllum. 



Our engraving represents the coralline-like 

 Griffithsia (Griffithsia, corallina), a common sea- 

 weed of a bright pink colour, the swollen joints of 



