354 W. A. Setc/iell — Classification and Geographical 



The Antarctic Ocean is not separated off into such distinct parts, 

 but is open throughout its extent. We may distinguish five dis- 

 tricts in the Antarctic and southern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 

 viz: the districts of western South America, Fuegia, western Africa, 

 Cape of Good Hope, and Australia. 



The District of westeryi South America includes chiefly the coast 

 of Chili and our knowledge of its kelp-flora is very inadequate. 



The District of Fuegia includes the region about Cape Horn and 

 the Straits of Magellan, and also the Falkland Islands. We have 

 excellent accounts of the kelp-flora in Hooker's " Flora Antarctica," 

 part second. 



The District of western Africa includes the Azores, the Madeira, 

 and Canary Islands, and the coast of Guinea. The kelp-flora is 

 scanty, but the district is interesting as an intermediate district. 



The District of the Cape of Good Hope includes only the region 

 immediately about the Cape of Good Hope itself. 



The District of Australia includes not only the western and 

 southern coasts of Australia where kelps are found, but also New 

 Zealand and Tasmania. Whether any kelps are found on the 

 northern coasts or not seems uncertain. 



Three intermediate regions are of interest. One is the Canary 

 Islands already mentioned above ; a second is St. Paul and the 

 Crozet Islands, midway between the Cape of Good Hope and Aus- 

 tralia, and the other is Tahiti and the other Society Islands in the 

 middle Pacific Ocean, only a comparatively small distance south of 

 the equator. 



In the following tables are given lists of all the species belonging 

 to the Laminariacese so far as they are known to the writer, and 

 imperfect as it undoubtedly is, yet it will probably serve the pur- 

 pose for which it is inserted, viz: to give some tangible basis for a 

 general discussion of the relative distribution of the genera and sub- 

 tribes of the group. 



