108 SYXorsis of British BBAWBED8. 



such difficulty. If lie has once seen and tasted a piece of 

 Dulse, the characters, irrespective of form, arc too well 

 marked to allow of his puzzling himself with mere varia- 

 tions in outline. And whal is very remarkable, the hroad 

 and slightly divided varieties may often be found growing 

 side by side with the finely cut narrow ones. In Ireland 

 and Scotland this plant is much used by the poor, as a 

 relish with their food. It is commonly dried, in its un- 

 washed state, and eaten raw, the flavour being brought 

 out by long chewing. On many parts of the west coast of 

 Ireland, it forms the only addition to potatoes, in the 

 meals of the poorest class. The variety which grows on 

 mussel-shells between tide -marks is preferred, being less 

 tough than other forms, and the minute mussel-shells and 

 other small shell-fish which adhere to its folds are nowise 

 unpleasing to the consumers of this simple luxury, who 

 rather seem to enjoy the additional gout imparted by the 

 cranched mussels. In the Mediterranean this plant is 

 used in a cooked form, entering into ragouts and made 

 dishes ; and it forms a chief ingredient in one of the soups 

 recommended, under the name of " St. Patrick's Soup," 

 by M. Soyer, to the Irish peasantry. 



LYI. SPH^ROCOCCUS. 



184. coronopifolius {The bucfeshorn Spharococcus) ; frond very 

 much branched, branches alternate or subdichotomous, fan- 

 shaped, multifid, ending in acute lacinise, fringed with cilia ; 

 tubercles immersed in the cilia, Ag. Sp. Alg. v. 1. p. 291. 

 (Atlas, PI. XLII. Fig. 191.) 

 Gelidium coronopifolium, Lamonr. Phynchococcus coronopifo- 

 lius, Ktz. Fucus coronopifolius, Good, et Woodw. F. car- 

 tilagineus, Huds. 

 Sab. Frequent on the southern shores of England, and southern 

 and western shores of Ireland. On rocky sea-shores, at ex- 

 treme low- water mark, and at a greater depth ; mostly cast 

 on shore after a gale. Perennial. Summer and autumn. 

 Dr. Greville confined the amended genus Sphcerococcus 

 to the S. coronopifolius and to S. crinitus, Gm. The first 

 of these, being the best known, is to be considered the 

 type. Its structure is peculiar ; under a pocket lens may 

 be observed running through the branches the faint ap- 

 pearance of a midrib, connected with the margin by 

 oblique lateral veins, both of which were first observed by 



