up at sea, in the great floating bank of gulf-weed which extends 

 at the westward of the Azores from the twentieth to thirty-sixth 

 degree of north latitude. Another similar, but smaller bank, 

 occurs, according to Humboldt, a short way west of the Bahamas, 

 and between the twenty-second and twenty-sixth degrees of lati- 

 tude. From the first of these, probably, the specimens winch 

 occasionally reach the British coasts, are detatched and carried 

 northward by the great current that sweeps along the eastern 

 shores of the American continent, and crossing the Atlantic in a 

 high latitude, at length dissipates itself on the northern coasts of 

 Europe. The Sargasso is not the only vegetable production 

 which it brings to Shetland and Orkney. Tropical woods, and 

 seeds are still more frequently brought, and occur all along the 

 west of Ireland, where yet I have never known an instance of 

 Sargassum having been found. 



Sargassum bacciferum has been observed in the most distant 

 parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, throughout the tropics 

 and within a moderate distance of them, and always floating ; it 

 is therefore unfortunate that the ancient name natans, has not 

 been preserved to this species, to which it is most applicable. In 

 the great Atlantic bank it is found in ridges from ten to twenty 

 yards wide, and of indefinite length, stretching across the sea. 

 In this situation it continues to grow luxuriantly, and appears to 

 multiply itself by off-sets, at first accidentally broken off, and 

 immediately establishing themselves as independant plants. A 

 great variety of marine animals from Crustacea, downwards, 

 inhabit its branches, but I observed no parasitical Algae on any 

 of the specimens picked up. The list of animal species would 

 afford subject for a small volume, but very few of them are of a 

 strictly parasitical nature. 



Fig. 1. Sargassum bacciferum; a branch : — of the natural size. 2. A leaf 

 and muticous vesicle. 3. A mucronate vesicle : — slightly magnified. 



