96 COMMON SEAWEEDS. 



because I hope that some of my readers will go beyond 

 the surface, and examine fructification and structure. 

 This aud the following Poly ides will give selections of 

 fruit and stem truly interesting. 



This is a common plant even on mid-tide rocks, often 

 covered with patches of Calhtliamnia and zoophytes. 



Rigid and brownish-red ; the stem branches from a 

 creeping root — a notable distinction. 



The fronds are densely tufted, from four to eight 

 inches in height; the tips are all even, and swollen 

 into lanceolate pods. These pods are the supposed 

 fructification, but Harvey seems not certain of the 

 reality of the so-called spores. Make a thin transverse 

 section, and place it under the microscope with thin 

 glass cover and drop of water. You will see an outer 

 row of closely-packed cells, then a row of oblong dark 

 red spores, then some loose bead-like cells, and in the 

 centre a kind of pith ; hear all this in mind if you 

 want to decide between Furcellaria and a neighbour- 

 ing plant in the same pod extremely like it. 



POLTIDES BOTUKDTTS. 



This has a frond also brownish-red, cylindrical, solid, 

 forked, and densely tufted ; but observe, the root is 

 a disc, not creeping : the fructification is evident as 

 large warts upon the frond, and if we make a section 

 and examine a thin slice, we shall see regular groups 

 of spores in large cells amidst closely-packed filaments 

 of clear 'bead-like cells, tipped with larger cells of 

 deeper colour. 



