THE SAHGASSO WEED. 



283 



This species of the S^injai;:<)f}n, tbuiul in such 

 ttiii^^e (^uantitieSj floating npoa ^^Urif^^of 

 the eic€^ U of % Sua y^mt mlmtf lightei! m 

 deeper in tint, being when very young of a 



[greenish ypllow colour ; it is very buoyant, oc- 

 casioned both by its lightness of structure and body 

 of mi&r to support it, as wdl as by the number 

 irf air v^^clea with which itispfOfe^I/isiiiri^fiBd ; 



It lias a handsome appearance when seen spread 

 out and swiiiimiug on tlic surface, or \v]n:'ii just 

 taken out of the water. On drying, it first re- 

 tains the yellow, or greenish yellow, afterwards 



black, if cxpos^ to the «ktoofepher# whiStt^ry- 

 ing. The leaves are long, narrow, scattered, 

 serrated at the edges in an irregular manner ; 

 the stems are studded with numerous air- 

 if^emd«sim 4iff«^ stages ^ pmikf ^h^cai^ 

 and attached hf ^s^mi pedicle to the stem. In 

 mnny instances a young leaf Mddd In; seen 

 i-merging from tlie air-vcsiclc, and in otiiers 

 many of the leaves would Iiave the air-vesicle 

 (instead «tf being, as usual, on tfi)&sle3Ba») at the 

 skiimitt, forming a rounded teicfiilr^ticii to the 

 leaf ; some of the vesicles would have a longer 

 and hroadi'r pedicle than usual, which assumed 

 the character of an embryo leaf just formiii^^ 

 4mikr to what Ism been just nientimicd as 



