1910-1911.] A Rare British Freshwater A Iga. 311 



sensibly extended itself. It now occupies a broad space 

 around the margin, and resembles a floating bed of opaque 

 bituminous-like scum." 



As regards the size of the loch, there is a well-sub- 

 stantiated tradition that at one time it came close up 

 to the water - front of the mansion - house, but that on a 

 child of the family falling from an upper window into the 

 loch and being drowned, an outlet was made which caused 

 the water to recede some distance from the house, and 

 thus lessened its area. At all events, the extent of the 

 loch is now nearly 23 J acres. Its depth, also, is from 

 about 10 feet, where it shelves from the side, to 46 feet 

 at the deepest part. 



Dr Greville placed the Alga from The Haining Loch in 

 Agardh's genus Lynghya, and gave it the specific name of 

 jprolifica. Under this designation of Lynghya prolifica it has 

 been referred to in a few subsequent works, as in Hooker's 

 ' British Flora,' in Harvey's ' Manual of the British Algae,' 

 and in Hassall's * History of the British Fresh-water Algse.' 

 Yet for a long period of years no one seems to have re- 

 examined the plant, with a view to determining its relation- 

 ship and life-history in the light of modern research. The 

 text-books named simply repeat what Dr Greville wrote of it 

 in 1828. Strange to say, however, a portion of the Alga 

 which was sent to Dr Greville from The Haining Loch had 

 found its way to the Herbarium Lenormand, in Paris.^ Here 

 it was discovered, duly labelled, some years ago, by M. Maurice 

 Gomont, a well-known Continental Algologist, and was carefully 

 examined by him. In a monograph of the Oscillatoriacese 

 included in the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles ' (vol. xvi., 

 1892), M. Gomont describes this Alga under the name of 

 Oscillatoria 'prolifica — a name it will doubtless henceforth 

 bear. From specimens lately sent to Professor G. S. West of 

 Birmingham University, this name has been further confirmed. 

 It should be added, however, that Professor West is inclined 

 to regard it rather as its near and almost identical neighbour, 



1 While examining lately the Herbarium of Dr Greville deposited in the British 

 Museum, our member, Mr F. L. M'Keever, found specimens of The Haining Loch 

 Alga included also in it. 



VOL. VL Y 



