88 Prof. F. Schmitz on the 
colouring-matters and of the solid assimilation-products, are 
of sufficient weight to make an ¢mmediate annexation of the 
Florideew to the Coleocheetez impossible; but, on the other 
hand, the agreement pointed out between the two forms is so 
great that, in the natural system of the Thallophyta, the 
simplest Floridezee may be arranged next to the Coleocheetee, 
and consequently the whole of the Floridese or Rhodophycez 
next to the Green Algee or Chlorophycez *. 
On the other hand, I can by no means regard another rela- 
tionship of the Floridex, so often dwelt upon of late, the 
relationship to the Bangiacez, as so close as is supposed. 
This group of Alge which we have lately been accustomed 
simply to arrange among the Floridez, on the ground of 
Berthold’s observations J, must, in my opinion f, be quite sepa- 
rated from the Floridez, and for this reason no reference has 
been made to it in the above description. or the establish- 
ment of this opinion the most important points in the deve- 
lopment of the Bangiaceze which distinguish them from the 
Florideze may therefore be briefly indicated here. 
In the first place, the construction of the thallus of the 
Bangiacee is essentially different from that of the Floridee. 
In the Bangiacee transverse division of the joint-cells takes 
place in an unlimited degree, and numerous longitudinal divi- 
sions of the cells are produced by partitions which occupy the 
organic middle line of the cells, neither of which ever happens 
in the Floridew. In consequence of this also the thallus of 
the Bangiacez, so long as it does not actually represent a 
simple cell-filament, can never be reduced to a mere system 
of branched fibres. Further, the vegetative thallus-tissue of 
the Bangiacez is also always quite destitute of the remarkably 
characteristic primary pits of the Florideze, which are formed 
in unity in the organic centre of each newly formed dissepi- 
ment. 
Further, the sexual cells of the Bangiacez are formed from 
any cells of the thallus, while in the Floridez they are formed 
exclusively from terminal cells of longer or shorter cell-fila- 
ments. For the formation of the spermatia, in most Bangi- 
acee (Bangia, Porphyra), the individual thallus-cell breaks 
up by repeated division by means of dissepiments perpendi- 
cular to each other into a pluricellular complex of small cells, 
* An opposite opinion has been recently expressed by Falkenberg 
(Schenk, Handb. der Bot. Bd. ii. pp. 252, 253) and Berthold (‘ Fauna und 
Flora des Golfes von Neapel, VIII. Bangiacez,’ p. 22). 
+ Mittheil. aus der zool. Station zu Neapel, ii. pp. 78 e¢ segg., and 
Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel, Bd. viii. 
¢{ See Schmitz, Chromatophoren der Algen, p. 3, note 1. 
