1910-1911.] A Rare British Freshwater A Iga 3 1 5 



4-6 ju long, septa frequently showing granulation, with pseudo- 

 vacuoles. End-cell headed, with calyptra."i 



In comparing these, one has to keep in mind that Dr 

 Greville, in the beginning of last century, did not possess 

 the high - power lenses and manifold helps of the modern 

 botanist; and also, that he was a pioneer in the subject. 

 Yet his analytical descriptions, as in the above example, 

 evince careful and minute investigation. 



It is rather surprising that although, as already remarked, 

 this Alga has been present in The Haining Loch for probably 

 a century at least, the only examination of it by a British 

 botanist has been that by Dr Greville, fully eighty years ago. 

 Continental botanists, however, as we have seen, have mean- 

 time come to our aid. M. Gomont, in France, and Dr 

 Lemmermann, in Germany, have both examined the plant 

 in the light of the superior knowledge now possessed on 

 the subject of Algology, the former giving " Haining Loch, 

 Selkirk, Scotland " (" lacum Haining, comitatus Selkirk Cale- 

 donise "), as its only British locality. In the summer of 

 1890 the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club visited Selkirk, and 

 amongst the places of interest inspected by the members 

 was The Haining. The loch and its Alga naturally came 

 in for special attention ; and the Eev. Dr Paul, who wrote 

 the " Botanical Notes " of this meeting for the * Proceedings ' 

 of the Club, in referring to the plant, simply quoted Dr 

 Greville's description, as others had previously done. He 

 added, however, that " the plant deserves more careful 

 study," — which it has now received, though the honour 

 does not belong to our own Algologists. 



I have frequently visited The Haining Loch in summer, 

 when the surface of the water was covered, more or less, by 

 a slimy-looking brown scum. In the month of August last 

 (1910), when again in Selkirk, I was informed that the 

 proprietor of The Haining, Professor A. S. Pringle-Pattison, 

 of Edinburgh University, had determined, if possible, to 



^ " Trichome gerade oder gebrogen, an den Scheidewanden nicht eingeschniirt, 

 an den Enden allmahlich verjiingt, 2,2-5 /* breit, freischwimmend zuweillen zu 

 purpurotten, getrocknet violetten, Biindeln vereinigt. Zellen fast quadratisch 

 oder langer als breit, 4-6 ;u lang, an den Scheidewanden haiifig granuliert, mit 

 Pseudovakuolen. Endzelle kopfig, mit Kalyptra." — ' Kryptogamenflora der Mark 

 Brandenburg — Algen,' von E. Lemmermann, vol. i. p. 114. 



