46 RICHARD A. BASTOW. 



Flor. Antarct., Rabenhorst's work, etc.; and wherever I could 

 utilize the work of a good authority I have done so. 



The written information is in great part from Dr. Agardh's 

 works, but in a few cases I have been unable to obtain any infor- 

 mation, and have then fallen back upon reliably named specimens 

 in the National Herbarium of Melbourne ; these, for the most 

 part were named by Dr. Harvey, Prof. Agardh, or Dr. Sonder; 

 but where I have had the slightest doubt as to the correct illustra- 

 tion of any genus I have used a mark of interrogation. 



Although the Floridese are known as red algse, it must not be 

 supposed that they are always red ; the red plants, as a rule, will 

 only be found in deepish water ; if they are much exposed to the 

 light they assume an olive or brownish tint ; but with very little 

 experience the student will soon find out by the fruit and the 

 general habit of the plant whether it belongs to the Floridese or 

 not. 



The Floridese have two kinds of fruit, these are tetraspores and 

 conceptacular fruit. The tetraspores have been supposed by some 

 to be the normal fruit, and the conceptacles abnormal. I see no 

 particularly good grounds for such a supposition. Both kinds are 

 alike reproductive, but they are never found on the same plant. 

 Both kinds appear to me to be normal, for they always and 

 invariably retain the constant forms for each genus. 



The conceptacular fruit or sporiferous nucleus is either naked 

 (as in Callithamnio7i and Wrangelia); or immersed in the sub- 

 stance of the frond (as in Gratiloupia, Ralymenia, &c); or evolved 

 in wart-like tubercles (as in Polyides); or contained within hollow 

 conceptacles of various forms (as in Polysiphonia etc.), and has 

 generally, if not always a connection with the central stratum. 



The tetraspores are formed by the evolution of cells of the 

 cortical layer ; they are either dispersed through the cortical cells 

 of the whole frond, or confined to the ramuli, or grouped together 

 in sori, or lodged in wart-like excrescences called nemathecia, or 

 on proper leaflets (sporophylla), or in pod-like receptacles called 



