Vermont Botanical and Bird Club 15 



tural changes were external, and all the cells were for the most part 

 similar. The simple algae usher in some changes within the cells. 

 The central portion of the cell becomes a more pronounced center of ac- 

 tivity and is called a nucleus, while the green coloring matter is in- 

 vested within a special body called the chloroplast. 



The group of simple algae appears as a promiscuous gathering of 

 plants in which a number of experiments were tried. Chlorophyll is 

 the authorized coloring matter and nutritive agent it would seem, but 

 there is no agreement as to the shape into which it shall be in- 

 corporated. We find green flasks, green blankets, green cylinders, 

 green plates, green crescents and green footballs all striving to get the 

 most energy out of the sun: it seems that the idea of experimenting 

 is very old. Within this group also we find a variety of plant forms 

 which seem for the most part to lead nowhere in particular. The 

 modes of reproduction are likewise diverse. Within the group we 

 find certain plant cells giving rise to motile bodies called gametes, 

 which in turn lead varied existences, some of them fusing to form 

 spores, others developing directly into new plants. 



The most common genera of this group will be considered very 

 briefly, with no attempt to enumerate their specific characters. The 

 Ulothrix is an unbranched filament having a blanket-shaped chloro- 

 plast. It is frequent on the wave-washed rocks at the lake here, and 

 was occasionally noted in mountain brooks. The Hydrodictyon or 

 water net is one of the most unique of all the algae, the colony being 

 made up of long cells arranged end to end in a curious manner form- 

 ing a net which sometimes measures several inches across. There is 

 but one species known, and this is abundant in quiet inlets along the 

 Lake Champlain front and in still pools. I have never found it ex- 

 cept at Burlington, but expect it will be reported from some of our 

 smaller lakes. Sce?iedesmus is a genus in which the colony of four 

 crescent-shaped cells is microscopic, and is occasional in still pools 

 with other algae. Oedogonium is a filamentous form of frequent oc- 

 currence. It has cylindrical chloroplasts, and the cell-wall is pe- 

 culiarly ridged. Stigeoclonium species are frequent throughout the 

 state, typically in running water. These plants may attain a length 

 of several inches, and are delicately branched. Four species are com- 

 monly noted. Chaetophora resembles Stigeoclonium in structure, but 

 grows radially, forming a rounded mass on submerged sticks and stones. 

 In Draparnaldia we have an interesting genus in which the main fila- 

 ment is surrounded by delicate whorls of branches, the whole being 

 contained within a gelatinous sheath. I have never found it except in 



