174 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Aug. 1, 1865. 



should be taken, in gathering this species, to remove 

 it from the rocks by the roots, otherwise, if its 

 tubular branches be torn or broken, much of the 

 fine green colour will be lost, and the beauty of the 

 specimen considerably impaired. Pretty specimens 

 of a finely-forked olive plant, called Dictyota dicJio- 

 toma, grow in the rock-pools near St. Leonards ; 

 and outside the Castle Rocks, off Hastings, several 

 red species grow in profusion. At Brighton the 

 collector should commence his search at the east end 

 of the Esplanade, and so on towards Rottingdean. 

 The beautiful plant known as the Peacock, or 

 Turkey-feather laver (Fadina pavoiiia), is rarely 

 met with but in shallow rock-pools at half-tide level, 

 where it can enjoy the fuU light and heat of the 

 sun. This justly-admired species is found at Wey- 

 mouth, Exmouth, and Margate ; also at Shanklin, 

 in the Isle of Wight, where it fringes the rock- 

 pools in the greatest abundance. At Ventnor, in 

 the early summer months, many of the finer red 

 weeds are cast ashore, especially that grandly named 

 plant Spliarococcus coronopifolius. Ilfracombe and 

 Lynmouth are excellent localities for the handsome 

 red leafy plants, so also are Whitby and Filey. 

 Peterhead is famous for Odonthcdia, or toothed sea- 

 wort, as well as that lovely olive species known as 

 Edocarpus Mertensii, On the west coast of Scot- 

 land, the shores of the Cumbrae Islands, and 

 Whiting Bay in the Isle of Arran, will amply repay 

 the collector for a visit. On the shores of the last- 

 mentioned place, among other treasures, are found 

 in profusion OdotithaJia and Ftilota plumosa, and 

 occasionally the very rare Callithamnion arhuscula. 

 The above charming localities have been mentioned 

 as affording good hunting-grounds for amateur col- 

 lectors, and because, for the most part, they present 

 no very serious difiiculties to ordinary pedestrians 

 in obtaining a considerable nmnber of interesting 

 specimens. 



Patience, diligence, and the capability of bearing 

 a fair amount of fatigue, are necessary qualifications 

 for all who undertake the search after seaweeds, 

 because, as many of the finer kinds grow under the 

 shade of rocks or in deep pools, some occasional 

 rough climbing, and now and then a slip or two into 

 cool water, must be expected as " all in the day's 

 work." 



Almost all collectors commence by mounting 

 plants which a little experience proves to be worth- 

 less; this, however, is of very little importance; the 

 eye soon learns to detect the difference between 

 plants in and out of condition, and practice in 

 mounting is equally valuable \yhether the specimens 

 be good or bad. 



When I think of the diificulties I experienced 

 when I commenced the study of marine botany, 

 especially in the collecting and drying of seaweeds, 

 I feel strongly inclined to urge all beginners to 



obtain some information concerning Marine Algae 

 before they go to the sea-shore to collect for them- 

 selves. A very few hours of study with an ex- 

 perienced Algologist, or even a perusal of certain 

 standard illustrated works on British Algse, will save 

 much trouble and materially assist the unpractised 

 eye in selecting specimens for the herbarium. But 

 if the student would prefer a few visits to the 

 library of the British Museum, he will find in 

 Harvey's "Phycologia Britannica" figures, with 

 magnified portions, of every species of plant which 

 he is likely to meet with on the shores of the British 

 islands. 



If the collector wishes to learn, not merely the 

 names of plants, but to distinguish species, he will 

 do well to provide himself with a copy of Harvey's 

 little volume, " The Synopsis of British Seaweeds," 

 and a Stanhope or a Coddington lens, by means of 

 which he can examine portions of delicate plants as 

 he finds them, and compare them with the descrip- 

 tions given in the Synopsis ; in this way, if he have 

 any success during his excursions, he will quickly 

 become familiar with most of the plants which are 

 cast ashore or grow witliin tide-marks. 



As regards collecting boxes or bags, ladies and 

 gentlemen may suit their own coiivenience. Eor 

 short journeys an ordinary india-rubber sponge-bag 

 is as good as anytliing ; but in very warm weather, 

 a tin can with loop-handle and cover is better, 

 because it keeps the plants cool; and the water 

 should be changed frequently ; otherwise, if a large 

 number of weeds be kept together, decomposition 

 among the finer species is apt to take place; and 

 here I may observe that there is one genus of 

 beautiful olive plants, the Sporochnacea, which must 

 on no account be mixed with any of the delicate 

 red plants, for they not only very rapidly decompose, 

 but injure almost all others with which they are 

 placed in contact ; hence they should always be put 

 in a bag or tin case by themselves. The species are 

 not very numerous, and they may be easily recog- 

 nized, after having been previously studied, from the 

 coloured figures either in Harvey's " Phycologia," 

 or in Bradbury and Evans's "Nature-printed Sea- 

 weeds." 



Gloves are rather a nuisance than otherwise, but 

 I would advise ladies to wear a strong leather glove 

 on the left hand when rocks have to be scaled, 

 because they are frequently coated with Balani or 

 sea-acorns, tlie shells of which are sharp and apt to 

 lacerate the hands in the event of slips now and 

 then ; but I strongly recommend keeping the right 

 hand always bare ; for there is nothing like the un- 

 impeded touch in separating delicate branching 

 plants from the rocks, from the coarser weeds, or 

 from the masses of rejectamenta in which they are 

 sometimes found. Every plant should be swilled in 

 the nearest rock-pool, and washed as clean as pos- 



