BRITISH CORALLINES. 215 



and of a gelatinous consistence as usual. The granules do 

 not form transverse stripe, but we perceive them heaped up 

 in the articulations. Thus they arc redder and larger than 

 the preceding, particularly than the granules of C. officina- 

 lis, and they more distinctly appear to be seminal grains. 

 We can separate them easily by a light pressure. The 

 tubes are not so regularly parallel in that species as in C. 

 officinalis. M. Schweigger pretends that he found some 

 parallel filaments in C. rubens, but it appears he did not free 

 them sufficiently of their calcareous crust, so that he speaks 

 with considerable uncertainty of their internal organization. 

 He does not distinguish the Halimedese and Corallineae 

 precisely enough in his remarks, and he attributes to both, 

 Avhat evidently belongs only to one of the families. These 

 very obvious seminal grains approximate the corallines to 

 the Zonaria."* 



* Ann. des Sciences Nat. Bot. n. s. ii. p. 326^7. 



Was there a need of adding any additional proof of the vegctability 

 of the Corallines, an experiment now in progress before me would seem 

 to supply it. It is now eight weeks ago since I placed in a small glass 

 jar, containing about six ounces of pure sea- water, a tuft of the living 

 Corallina officinalis, to which were attached two or three minute con- 

 fervae, and the very young frond of a green Ulva, while numerous Ris- 

 sose, several little mussels and annelidcs, and a star-tish, were crawling 

 amid the branches. The jar was placed on a table, and was seldom dis- 

 turbed, though occasionally looked at ; and at the end of four weeks, the 

 water was found to be still pure, the mollusca and other animals all alive 

 and active, the confervae had grown perccj)tibly, and the coralline itself 

 had thrown out .some new shoots, and several additional articulations. 

 Fight weeks have now elapsed since the experiment was begun, — the water 

 has remained unchanged, — yet the coralline is growing, and apparently 

 has lost none of its vitality, but the animals have sensibly decreased 

 in numbers, though many of them continue to be active, and show 

 no dislike to their situation. What can be more conclusive ? I need not 

 say that if any animal, or even a sponge, had been so confined, the water 

 would long before this time have been deprived of its oxygen, would 

 have become corru\)t and ammoniacai, and poisonous to the life of every 

 iviiig thing. 



