38 



stamina and pistils, belong to a new genus of the 

 family of the ceratophytae. The small cups, 

 which Mr. Ruiz took for pistils, proceed from 

 horny and flattened stems, which are so inti- 

 mately united to the substance of the fucus, that 

 we might be tempted to take them for mere fasci- 

 culated fibres ; but these horny stems may be 

 separated by a very thin blade, without hurting 

 the parenchyma, They are unarticulated, and 

 at first of a dark brown ; but they become in 

 time, by drying, white and friable ; in this state 

 they effervesce with acids, as the calcareous sub- 

 stance of the sertularia, the extremities of which 

 very much resemble the cups of the fucus of 

 Mr. Ruiz. We found again, in the South Sea, 

 on our voyage from Guayaquil to Acapulco, these 

 same appendages to the tropic grape, and the 

 most attentive examination left us no doubt, that 

 a zoophyte is attached to the fucus, as ivy en- 

 twines the trunks of trees. The organs describ- 

 ed under the name of female flowers are more 

 than two lines along, and their size alone should 

 have removed the suspicion, that these parts 

 were real pistils. 



The coast of Paria stretches to the west, form- 

 ing a wall of rocks of no great height, with 

 rounded tops and a waving outline. We were 

 long without perceiving the bold coasts of the 

 island of Margaretta, where we were to stop in 

 order to obtain information respecting the Eng- 



