FURCELLARIA IRIDiEA. 



61 



To preserve it for esculent purposes, it mast 

 be washed in fresh water and then left to dry, 

 when it soon becomes horny to the touch, and 

 resists pressure. If boiled, it subsides into a 

 thick colourless jelly, that is thought to be very 

 nutritive, and is employed for many purposes. 

 Invalids take it in their tea, or epicures in their 

 blanc-mange. Calico printers boil it down into 

 size, and use it in their manufactures. It is said 

 to be a good fattening substance for calves, if 

 boiled in milk ; and, lastly, pigs are very fond of 

 it when it is mixed with potatoes or meal. It 

 is sometimes known by the name of Irish 

 Moss." It will grow in an aquarium. 



A plant is represented on plate J, fig. 4, that is 

 found plentifully between tide-marks. It is rather 

 a conspicuous plant, and is appropriately named 

 Furcellaria fastigiata, the generic title being 

 derived from a Latin word signifying a little fork. 

 It is of a dark-brown colour with an obscure 

 dash of purple, but in drying the purple departs, 

 and the brown becomes nearly black. 



I have already mentioned that some of the 

 algae reflect prismatic colours. This is occasion- 

 ally the case with Chondms crispus, and there is 

 one genus which is so resplendent that the name 

 Iridcea is given to it ; Iris signifying a rainbow. 



