204, FIRST FORMS OF VEGETATION. 
sections, varying from half a line to half an inch in 
diameter, grey on the one side, and green on the 
other. The filaments which compose these meshes 
are sometimes slender as a human hair, and some- 
times as coarse as a hog’s bristle, feeling harsh to 
the touch when handled. There is no granular 
fructification within the filaments, consequently 
the plant is propagated viviparously, each of the 
articulations giving birth to new filaments, which 
add new meshes to the net, and, in this singular 
manner, a single individual often weaves a green 
network covering over the whole surface of a 
pond. Itis not attached to any aquatic plants, 
but floats freely in the water. It is rare in Scot- 
land and Ireland, but is of common occurrence in 
ponds and ditches in the middle and south of 
England. 
Another curious conferva, which departs widely 
from the normal form, is the Moor Ball or Globe 
Conferva (Conferva egagropila). It is found oc- 
casionally in lakes in North Wales, in Cumber- 
land, and in the Highlands of Scotland. The fila- 
ments radiating from a central point form dense 
round pale-green balls, as if composed of faded 
silk thread, sometimes four inches in diameter, and 
having a strong resemblance to the hair balls that 
are found in the stomachs of goats. They are 
sometimes employed as pen-wipers in the places 
