Winter came in early; fine v»reather at the beginning of 

 November soon turned to bitter Vv-inds and gales, and snovr fell 

 inlando 



Vera P.Po Lay. 



A STl^^TrE FORM OF PLAJ^'T LIFE 



Last August I found a curious Algae at Sunbreck, near 

 Ulverston on an outcrop of "the clints"o This is a flat limestone 

 formation peculiar to parts of the North country; the bare grey 

 rock is almost as level as a pavement, but in places cracks occur, 

 sometimes less than 6 inches v/ide but many feet deep, where little 

 ferns establish themselves, and small depressions are dissolved 

 out on the surface by vi/ater^ In the prevailing damp clinate the 

 deeper holes are kept permanently filled v/ith rain v/atero 



One of these puddles was nearly full of loose vegetable 

 objects, varying in size from radish seeds to about half an inch 

 across, and superficially rather like sultanas. They v;'ere dark 

 olive green, firm in texture - rather like the bladders of the 

 bro'.vn seaweeds - v/ith a thickened rim and slightly flattened in 

 the middle on both sides, the flattened area being slightly 

 translucent and covered v/ith sjfiall dots, presumably spore bearing 

 organs. Most of them v/ere round, but some were irregular, vrith 

 smaller bodies attached to the ]rims, having apparently budded off. 



The v/ater in the puddle was nearly a foot deep, and perfectly 

 clear, v/ith no other plants in it. As I v/as with a. party I had no 

 time to search very far, but I found no more of these strange 

 objects in any of the adjacent puddles. 



12 - 



