Directions for preserving Sea Plants. 155 



I detected it sparingly in a rocky pool about half-way between Glen- 

 arm and Cairnlough Bay. There were many other pools at the same 

 locality, but it only occurred in the one. It was when growing al- 

 most entirely of a yellowish olive-green, but reddened a little when 

 exposed to the air, and still more when steeped in fresh water. It 

 was in fruit, having granules imbedded in the ramuli. 



Chylocladia articulata. — Common. This and the other Chylo- 

 cladia just mentioned, (the stem of C. ovalis excepted) are so suc- 

 culent, that a person who had seen them only in the dried state could 

 have little idea of the appearance they present in the recent. C. 

 clavellosa when just spread on paper looks so thick, coarse, and com- 

 plicated, that one might almost despair of its becoming fit for preserv- 

 ing, yet when simply left to itself it dries away to the greatest de- 

 gree of tenuity, becomes so attached to the paper as to seem incor- 

 porated with it, and forms one of the most beautiful plants of the 

 herbarium. C. articulata is best dried under pressure from the first, 

 and the two or three first times it is changed, it will be advisable to 

 remove the moisture it has discharged by blotting-paper. 



Sphcerococcus coronopifolius. — Not unfrequent. This species dries 

 easily in the usual way, but its branches shrink up very much in 

 diameter, I think, to more than one-half their original thickness. It 

 adheres pretty well to paper, and, as remarked in the Flora Hiber- 

 nica, becomes darker in drying. It " becomes horny in the thicker 

 parts." — Grev. Alg. Br. p. 138. 



Ptilota plumosa. — Common, growing especially on the stems ofLa- 

 minaria digitata. This beautiful species is much improved for spread- 

 ing by maceration for six or eight days in fresh water. When taken 

 from the sea, (especially large specimens,) it is so rigid that the smal- 

 ler ramuli escape from pressure and shrink up, thereby deteriorating 

 the beauty of the specimen. This is considerably obviated by long 

 steeping, from which the plant becomes more flaccid and obedient to 

 pressure, and the colour is in general also more beautiful. Old spe- 

 cimens dry sometimes almost black, and this occurs sometimes even 

 after long maceration, for this species retains its colouring matter with 

 great pertinacity. 



Irid&a edulis. — Common; but, as every botanist knows, is very sel- 

 dom thrown ashore in a perfect state, being torn and perforated in 

 every possible way. As it grows in pools of water, it may occasion- 

 ally be found in a good state several inches long. It adheres strongly 

 to paper, and is easily preserved. I am inclined to suspect, from the ap- 

 pearance of some of my specimens, that the perforations so common 



