RELATION OF PLANT PROTOPLASM TO ENVIRONMENT. 255 



we find, as in the case of Phormidium laminosum, Hapalosiphon laminosus, 

 Symploca thermalis and others, that these occur over 3 or 4 continents of the Old 

 and the New World in like situations, this is strong proof alike of a former more 

 extended and abundant distribution as well as of their great antiquity. If such 

 be true of forms that have come down to the present day, it is also strong evidence 

 that, in earlier times when volcanic action was widespread, there would be a 



greater wealth of species, many of which have been exterminated in such extensive 

 volcanic changes as occurred in the New Zealand hot spring region during a 



recent decade. 



Second, the chemical composition of the waters in which the thermophilic 

 algae occur is exceptionally rich in dissolved inorganic compounds suited for their 

 growth. Numerous detailed direct and also hypothetical analyses are given in 

 Gooch and Whitfield's tables (5) for the leading western American thermal 

 waters, and of these two of the latter need alone be given here from the Excelsior 

 and the Splendid geysers: 



Excelsior Geyser. 



Constituents 



NH4CI 



Li CI 

 KC1 

 KBr 



NaCl 

 Na 2 S0 4 



Na 2 B 4 7 

 NaAs0 2 



Na 2 HP0 4 



Grams per Kilo of 



Water. 



Trace 

 0.0121 

 0.0821 

 Trace 

 0.3948 

 0.0259 

 0.0232 

 0.0034 

 Trace 



Per Cent, of Total 

 Material in Solution 



Na 2 CO» 



0.5739 



MgCOa 



0.0077 



CaCOs 



0.0055 



FeCO, 



0.0037 



A1 2 0, 



0.0023 



SiO, 



0.2214 



CO, 



0.1365 



ns 



Trace 





1.4725 



Trace 

 0.82 

 4.22 



Trace 



26.81 



1.76 



1.58 



0.23 



Splendid Geyser. 



Constituents 



38.97 

 0.52 



0.37 



0.25 



0.15 



15.04 

 9.28 



Trace 



NH4CI 

 Li CI 

 KC1 

 NaCl 

 Na 2 S0 4 



Na 2 B 4 7 

 NaAs0 2 



Na 2 HP0 4 



Na 2 COa 

 MgCOs 



CaC0 3 



FeCOj 



A1 2 0, 



Si0 2 



co 2 



Grams per Kilo of 

 Water. 



100.00 



0.0002 

 0.0140 

 0.0231 

 0.4940 

 0.0281 

 0.0335 

 0.0025 

 0.0002 

 0.5286 

 0.0018 

 0.0075 

 0.0001 



0.0051 

 0.2964 



0.1989 



Per Cent, of Total 

 Material in Solution 



1.6340 



0.01 

 0.86 

 1.41 

 30.23 

 1.72 

 2.05 

 0.15 



0.01 

 32.36 



0.11 

 0.46 



0.01 



0.31 



18.14 



12.17 



100.00 



We may compare these again with Sandberger's analysis of water from the 

 Great Geyser of Iceland that gave in every 10,000 parts: silica 5.097, sodium 

 carbonate 1.939, ammonium carbonate 0.083, sodium sulphate 1.07, potassium 

 sulphate 0.475, magnesium sulphate 0.042, sodium chloride 2.521, sodium sul- 

 phide 0.088, carbon dioxide 0.557. The only element absent in the above analj 



In 



ses, that we now regard as important for plant nutrition is phosphorus 

 connection with subsequent details the question might be ventured whether 

 possibly sulphur can take the place of phosphorus in such a group as the Schizo- 



Phy 



But in view of the possible proximity, in such thermal areas, of 



apatite rocks that might yield phosphatic compounds, the absence 

 noteworthy. 



rather 





