DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE ALG^. 175 



by itself. In Kjellman's Algce of the Arctic Sea there are 

 admirable tables of the distribution of these Algae through- 

 out the provinces into which he has divided that region. 

 In the Essai cle classification des Algues de la Guadeloupe 

 by MM. Maze and Schramm, there are exhaustive tables 

 showing the relationship of the Algse of Guadeloupe and 

 in my Catalogue of West Indian Algce there are tables 

 showing the relationship of West Indian Algse with 

 other regions, viz., North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Warm 

 Atlantic, South Atlantic and Cape of Good Hope, Indian 

 Ocean, Australia and South Pacific, Warm Pacific, 

 North Pacific and China Seas. It is much to be 

 wished that the authors of catalogues of Algae should 

 furnish us with similar tables, though, knowing the labour 

 of the performance arising from the diverse classifications 

 in use, and from the necessity of verifying records — 

 knowing that such labour rivals that involved in the produc- 

 tion of the catalogue itself, I can understand the reluctance 

 of authors. Certainly few tasks have less outward and 

 visible result than the construction of such tables. But 

 the more of them made the easier does the work of making 

 the remainder become. 



Now I have heard it said that the subject hardly 

 exists — that species of Algae are pretty well world-wide if 

 we except such broad and obvious facts as that the 

 Sargassa are more or less tropical and the Siphoneae also ; 

 that the Laminarieae are temperate and polar and so on. 

 There is not much use wasting argument on such ignor- 

 ance which the gods fight against in vain. The plants 

 themselves intervene in this matter, and by appeal 

 to them we can settle it. My object in constructing 

 the table appended to this paper* is the very humble one of 



* I have to acknowledge gratefully the aid of Miss Ethel Barton and of 

 Mr. Carver in drawing up the table and checking results. 



