186 REPORT—1896. 
Cruoria rosea, Crn. f. purpurea, Batt., is probably only a more ad- 
vanced stage in the life-history of Cruoria rosea, Crn., than had hitherto 
been recognised. It is so like the figure of Crouan’s Cruoria purpurea 
that it would have been identified as such by Mr. Edw. Batters and 
myself but for the fact that our solitary specimen showed several inter- 
mediate connecting stages. 
Cruoriopsis Hauckii, Batt. is an interesting member of the 
Squamariacex, obtained from a stone dredged off the west end of the 
breakwater. The tetraspores showed almost every transition from zonate 
to cruciate. It most nearly resembles Cruoriella armorica of Hauck 
(non Crouan). As one of the two species bearing the name Cruoriella 
armorica will have to be renamed, Mr. Batters proposes to call our 
plant as above. 
The other finds do not call for special mention. 
Interesting results were obtained from a cultivation experiment with 
Ahnfeltia plicata, Fr. The nature of its fructification has not been 
satisfactorily made out. The late Professor Fr. Schmitz maintained that 
it was a parasite (Sterrocolax decipiens, Schm.), and that the true repro- 
ductive organs had not yet been found. His view, however, while widely 
accepted by algologists, was opposed by Reinke and others. This plant, 
richly supplied with ‘nemathecia,’ was placed in sterilised sea-water on 
February 1, 1896, and after two months (March 30) a very great number 
of germinated spores, in the shape of small discs, were found on the sides 
of the glass jar. The structure and appearance of those discs were such as 
to strongly support the view that the supposed parasite of Schmitz was in 
reality the sporogenic nemathecium, or fructification, of Ahnfeltia plicata. 
Unfortunately, owing to the difficulties of cultivation, I did not succeed 
in definitely settling this point, as the culture did not get beyond the disc 
stage ; but, if the opportunity offers, another year I hope to repeat this 
experiment under more favourable conditions. 
As part of my investigation J am studying the attaching-discs of the 
red sea-weeds, or Floridez, in order to ascertain to what extent the 
conditions found by me in Dumontia filiformis (Fl. Dan.) Grev. (‘Journal 
of the Linnean Soc.’—Botany—vol. xxx. p. 436) prevail in other species. So 
far I have found no other red sea-weed which shows a mode of development, 
from an attaching-disc, similar to that described for D. filiformis (. c.). 
A large number of the Floridee (e.g. Gigartina, Polyides, Stenogramme) are 
connected with their attaching disc by a simple parenchyma-like tissue ; 
one or two species of those which have attaching discs present somewhat 
different features, and when their structure is more fully worked out will 
be worth describing and figuring, but they in no way resemble the con- 
ditions found in D. filiformis. 
In conclusion I should like to state that two or three of the above 
finds are entirely due to Mr. Batters, the material having simply been 
forwarded to him from the Laboratory at my request. He, moreover, has 
very kindly acted as expert for me by naming such alge as seemed to 
me to be interesting or new, the Plymouth Marine Biological Laboratory 
not. being well supplied with the literature necessary for algological 
research. 
The diagnosis of Acr. endophyticum, Batt., and particulars with regard 
to the other new to Britain marine algx, may be found in ‘The Journal of 
Botany’ for September, 1896, under ‘ New or Critical British Sea-weeds,’ 
by Mr. Edw. Batters. 
