OF THE MARINE ALGiE. 89 



CHAPTER X. 



OF THE MARINE ALGiE. 



The beauty of colouring and delicacy of form exhibited 

 by the generality of the Algae inhabiting the ocean have 

 always made them great favourites with botanists ; and 

 even those persons for whom botany has no charms may 

 be seen eagerly searching for these lovely plants among 

 the debris scattered along the seashore. 



Of course, where the student has the opportunity of 

 gathering them for himself, it is far better to study their 

 habits and watch their changes of growth in their native 

 haunts, than to trust to dried specimens : moreover, he 

 will be saved much time and patience, both of which are 

 largely called for in the task of disentangling a complicated 

 network of Algae which have lain long between the sheets 

 of an herbarium. Nevertheless, there are many who are 

 either altogether debarred from visiting the seaside, or can 

 do so at long intervals only ; but even these need not 

 despair of making acquaintance with the marine flora. 

 Besides, it often happens that the collector is prevented by 

 want of time from at once preparing a large number of 

 specimens for the herbarium. It is well then to know 

 that Algae which have been roughly dried for mere pre- 

 servation will, upon being carefully remoistened, regain so 

 much of their natural beauty as to please even a critical 

 eye. Indeed, under certain circumstances, this prelimi- 

 nary drying has positive advantages. For instance, there 

 are certain species which have the unpleasant peculiarity, 

 when the fresh specimens are being dried, of discharging a 

 portion of their cell contents, thereby spotting and staining 

 the paper on which they lie. Such are the genus Aglao- 



