Queries and Answers. 



483 



Carrageen or Irish Moss, and DucVs-foot Conferva. — Sir, I am • anxious 

 to exchange a little practical for some scientific knowledge, through the 

 medium of your Magazine. I have no doubt, the advantage will be all on 

 my side, though you may chance to have readers to whom my information 

 may be useful. Last autumn, a friend gave me a packet of sea-weed^ to 

 make a jelly for coughs, and I found it an ef- 

 fectual remedy ; It was gathered on the coast of 

 Ireland, and called by the country-people " car- 

 rageen or Irish moss." {fig- 119.) On my ar- 

 rival here, in Dec. 1829, I found a considerable 

 quantity on the shore. I considered it a com- 

 mon white jPucus: it approaches nearer to 

 Withering's i^ucus albidus than to any I can 

 discover. It forms, after boiling, a strong trans- 

 ^^ parent jelly; and, with the admixture of lemon 

 and sugar, is a very agreeable medicine. For 

 the last two months, there has been none on the 

 shore ; and although we have now a very weedy 

 beach, it was after a long search I found the 

 small specimen enclosed. In my collection of 

 - marine plants, I have much of what is vulgarly 

 called Duck's-foot Conferva {Jig. 120.), but which is, I presume, a coral- 

 line. Under the latter suppo- 

 sition, I was surprised to find 

 that, on exposure to the fire, it 

 emitted a powerful acid smell, 

 similar to that of lemons. I 

 should be glad to hear this ac- 

 counted for, and also to have 

 the correct names of the en- 

 closed. With sincere thanks 

 for the pleasure derived from 

 the perusal of your interesting 

 work, I remain. Sir, yours, &c. 

 — Brighton, April 20. 1830. 



The Carrageen or Irish Moss 

 {fig. 119.) is the i^^ucus crispus 

 var. 8. of Turner's Historia Fu- 

 corumy vol. iv. t.217. f. c. The 

 Duck's-foot Conferva {fig. 120.) is the Flustra foliacea of Ellis's CoroU, 

 t. 2. f. 8. — D.D. May 22. 1830. 



A Fossil Trilobite. — Sir, Having lately met with a fossil of the trilobite 

 species {fig. 121.) in a part of the country where nothing of the kind, as far 



as I am able to as- 

 certain, has ever 

 been hitherto dis- 

 covered ; and, as 

 Mr. Sowerby justly 

 remarks that " trilo- 

 bites occur only in 

 transition rocks, and 

 the lowest beds of 

 the mountain lime- 

 stone, their presence 

 in any country is an 

 important geologi- 

 cal feature ;" I take 

 the liberty of sending you an account of the same, which may probably be 



120 



A portion of the surface magnified. 



