becoming brown, and sometimes even black in drying. In fresh water this 
plant gives out a dark brown liquid. I have never seen fructification of 
either kind. 
This species, though sometimes found, as at Weymouth, be- 
tween tide-marks, much more commonly grows at a considerable 
depth, so as to escape notice altogether, except when accidentally 
thrown ashore after storms, or when sought by dredging. It was 
first described by Agardh, who gathered specimens of it at Venice, 
but had been found many years previously by the late Mr. Tem- 
pleton, in Belfast Lough. In the herbarium of that gentleman, 
the specimens remained undescribed until 1840, when I recog- 
nised them, and introduced that Irish habitat into the Manual. 
P. subulifera had, however, previously, in 1833, been found in 
England by Mrs. Griffiths and Mr. Borrer. It appears to be 
much more abundant on the coast of Ireland, especially in Round- 
stone bay, where, on different occasions, I have dredged it in 
considerable quantities. 
Its peculiar thorny habit, well expressed by the specific name, 
is so unlike that of any other British species of equal size, that 
it cannot well be confounded with any. ‘To the naked eye it 
bears a greater resemblance to young specimens of Rytiphlea 
fruticulosa than to anything else, but is more slender and flaccid, 
and readily known at all times by the distinctly articulate stem 
and branches, which have, both externally and internally, a very 
different structure. 
Fig. 1. PoLystPHONIA SUBULIFERA :—0f the natural size. 2. Portion of a 
branch. 38. Joints and ramulus from the same. 4. Transverse section of 
the stem :—all more or less magnified. 
