THE MARINE ALG.E OF NEW ENGLAND. 7 



an effect. Certainly, Ehabdonla tenera is quite unknown in any other spot 

 north of Cape Cod, the nearest locality being the coast near Nantucket, 

 and it is very difficult to conceive that spores of that delicate species would 

 survive in a very cold current, which not only must carry them outside 

 of Cape Cod and across Massachusetts Bay, but also around to the shel- 

 tered cove at the point where Cape Ann joins the mainland at the 

 north. If we compare the exceptional case of Goose Cove in the north 

 with Gay Head and MontaUk in the south, it seems to be the rule that 

 wherever the water is cold enough, we meet arctic species, and wherever 

 it is warm enough we have Long Island species, regardless of the 

 remoteness of localities where the species naturally abound, and, as far 

 as we know, of the absence of currents to trausport the spores. 



Our marine flora is marked by the complete absence of any members 

 of the order Dictyotacece. Haliseris polypodioides has been found on the 

 coast of North Carolina and, at Charleston, Padina pavonia begins to 

 become common, but north of Norfolk not a single species of the order 

 is known, the northern species referred by Harvey in the Nereis to the 

 Dicti/otacea 3 being now known to belong to another order. Nor does 

 any species of Tilopteris or Cutleria occur in New England. The ab- 

 sence of some of the common European genera of Florideoe is also wor- 

 thy of notice. The genus NitopliyUum is entirely wanting north of 

 North Carolina, and, although a species is said to have been collec- 

 ted off Cape Fear, and although N. ocellatum is occasionally found 

 at Key West, this genus, which forms one of the more striking fea- 

 tures of the European flora, may be said to be practically almost un- 

 known anywhere on our Atlantic coast. Bonnemaisonia asparagoides, 

 which occurs as far north as Norway, although rare, may perhaps be 

 found with us. No species of Schizymenia or the related genera is found 

 with us although the western coast is perhaps too rich in species of 

 this perplexing group. Plocamium coccineum, one of the commonest red 

 sea- weeds not only of Europe but of our west coast, is known with us 

 in only one doubtful case. Gelidium corneum, which is abundant in al- 

 most all parts of the world, is only occasionally found in New England, 

 and then only in the reduced form, separated by some as a distinct species, 

 under the name of G. crinale. It may here be remarked that it is often 

 a difficult matter to determine whether some of the more beautiful sea- 

 weeds of Europe really occur with us or not. Our amateur collectors 

 have frequently exchanged with European collectors, and one not un- 

 frequently sees specimens of Plocamium coccineum, CallophylUs laciniata 

 and other European species prized for their beauty, which are said 

 to have been collected on our own coast. But inasmuch as no careful 

 collector has found the species in question, I have considered it too unsafe 

 to accept the statements of amateurs who, to my knowledge, have re- 

 ceived specimens from Europe, and who, in general, are not accurate as 

 to dates and localities. The preceding remark will not, however, apply 

 to the species of Fucus and the coarser sea- weeds. Fucus serratus, very 



