80 BRITISH SEA-WEEDS. 



or of a part of a branchlet. The spores are very rarely 

 to be found. — Ectocaepus, from the Greek ectos, external, 

 and carpos, fruit. 



This genus contains a large number of species, which 

 are mostly natives of temperate climates, and are very 

 abundant on the coasts of England and France. They 

 are not at first sight attractive, their colour being dull 

 and their substance slimy. They are, moreover, less 

 easy to name than many other sea-weeds, as their spe- 

 cific characters are neither constant nor well-defined. 

 Under the microscope, however, where the delicate 

 texture and beautiful and varied forms of their jointed 

 branches are revealed, they appear to much greater ad- 

 vantage. Dr. Harvey considers the pod-like body, 

 or propagulum, to be the most reliable and easily-de- 

 termined character, and it is, there ore, very important 

 to obtain specimens on which this organ is developed. 



Ectocarpus siliciilostis. Podded Ectocarpns. 



Tufts parasitical on various large Sea-weeds, pale-olive 

 green ; threads very slender, and much branched. Pods 

 lance-shaped, usually on short, and more rarely on long 

 stalks. 



Ectocarpus amphibius. Amphibious Ectocarpus. 



Tufts short, soft, of pale-olive colour ; threads very 

 slender, forked. Pods linear, scarcely distinguishable from 

 the ordinary branchlets. 



This species grows in ditches of brackish water, and 

 Dr. Harvey suggests that it may be only a variety of 

 E. siliculosus, altered by the circumstances of its growth. 



