450 Fresh- Water Algae of Canada. 



ARTICLE XXXYL— The Fresh Water Algce of Canada. A Paper 



presented to the Natural History Society of Montreal, by the 



Rev. A. F. Kemp. 



(Second Part.) 



In our previous paper it was said that -' we have not yet found a 

 single example of the verticellate genus Batrachospermum. In 

 vain we have searched for it in places where it might naturally 

 he expected, yet not a frond have we seen. It may still be found ; 

 but, so far, the researches of two years in the Canadas have been 

 in vain." So far as the Eastern Province is concerned, this state- 

 ment is still true : no specimen has rewarded our search up to- 

 this time. But we are happy to say that a correspondent and 

 diligent collector in Paris, Canada West, has been more fortunate. 

 A most beautiful example of this genus has been sent us, both in 

 the moist and dry state. "We have examined it wiih the utmost 

 care, and, after the most careful comparison with the figures and 

 descriptions of Hassall, our impression was that it did not bear 

 any distinct resemblance to any of the species described or fig- 

 ured in that work. On referring, however, to Vaucher's " His- 

 toire des Conferves,' r we find his species B. moniliforme de- 

 scribed in such terms as to lead us to think that our plant is 

 identical with it. The characters which he notes as belonging* 

 to it are : "Filaments ramose, moniliform ; articulations, globose 7 

 gelatinousT Our specimen possesses all these characters, but also 

 has another and a peculiar one, which this description does 

 not embrace, namely, that of having branched moniliform fibril- 

 Ise on the internodes of the main stem between the whorled arti- 

 culations. While this feature is not noticed by Vaucher in his- 

 specific characters of the plant, he yet in his appended notes says, 

 that " this plant does not always present the same appearance : 

 sometimes the ramifications are so very numerous, that the con- 

 ferva resembles only an irregular filament ; sometimes, on the 

 contrary, they are so very rare, that the verticelli become quite 

 distinct : but the shades which separate the two extremes are so 

 very numerous, that they may be regarded as varieties of the 

 same species." 



A correspondent in Boston ; TJ. S., having compared our plant 

 with those in the collection of the late Mr. Bailey, says that it 

 appears to be identical with some of his specimens marked 

 B. moniliforme, some of which, he remarks, differ considerably 

 from one another. 



