elegantly urn-shaped. e¢raspores forming a row in the upper half of the 
ultimate ramuli, and generally extending to the apex. Colour a full, deep 
red, becoming much darker, and even black in drying. Sudstance rigid, 
not strongly adhering to paper. 
Polysiphonia urceolata is subject to some minor variations, 
according to the locality in which it grows. When found on 
rocks, in exposed situations, near low-water mark, the filaments 
are more robust, of greater length, and much more branching ; 
these constitute the typical form of the species, as restricted by 
Agardh. When growing on the stems of Laminaria digitata 
the filaments are much less branched, the lateral branches shorter, 
and the ramuli remarkably squarrose, often hooked backwards. 
Such specimens constitute the P. patens of Agardh, and are well 
represented in Lyngbye’s figure quoted above. ‘To the naked 
eye the extreme states of these two varieties are sufficiently 
characterised, but various intermediate forms insensibly connect 
them, and I have found it impossible to discover any satisfactory 
distinction between them. The Conferva patens of Dillwyn 
appears to be merely the young state of the plant. 
Fig. 1. Potysrpnonta urcrouata ; tuft :—of the natural size. 2. Branch 
with capsules. 3. A capsule. 4. Branch with tetraspores. 5. Ramulus 
from the same. 6. A tetraspore. 7. Portion of a branch and ramulus, 
to show the comparative length of the joints. 8. Portion of the lower part 
of the stem, to show the same. 9. Cross-section of -a filament :—al/ 
more or less highly magnified. 
