4 
OUR MARINE ALGjE 
OUB MARINE ALG®.* 
By Key. Henry Boyden, B.A. 
Our Marine Algie seem to find little favour among Midland 
botanists, owing, in some measure, perhaps, to the fact that 
other cryptogams, as the mosses and fungi so diligently studied, 
are near at hand, while the sea-weeds are far away. But the 
Marine Algas have seldom attracted the attention they deserve. 
The old classical writers spoke of them in words of contempt. 
Even Linnaeus overlooked them. As the ferns, so widely 
popular for house and garden decoration in these latter days, 
were denounced as “ liedge-row trumpery” by old medical 
writers, so the Algae were seaside trumpery in scientific esti¬ 
mation. Dr. Harveyf and Messrs. Johnstone and Croall,j in 
their splendidly illustrated works on our British sea-weeds, 
have manifested to the eye, as they also prove to the mind, 
what perfect treasures of beauty adorn our bays and are cast 
upon our shores. These writers were largely aided by enthu¬ 
siastic collectors at different stations on our coast, especially 
ladies, who had much time and patience at their disposal, 
and who were rewarded, in some instances, by becoming god¬ 
mothers in the temple of science, the new species they dis¬ 
covered being called by their names. But even with our 
modern aids and incentives, how rarely do we find any able to 
instruct us in regard to our Marine Algae. I meet now and 
then with an album containing sea-weeds in a lady’s drawing¬ 
room, but, unless they were purchased from a professional 
collector, they are inserted without regard to order, and are 
unnamed. Yet great facilities exist for the scientific collec¬ 
tion of our British Algas. We have 2,000 miles of English 
coast, and there are few parts where the plants of Neptune’s 
garden may not be found. For a thorough scientific study of 
them a continued residence at the seaside is necessary, that 
the habits of the plants may be observed ; but, in these days 
of cheap excursions, much may be done by an occasional 
visit. 1 spent ten days at Felixstowe, on the east coast, last 
summer, and while there filled an album with sea-weeds for 
the lady who entertained me, and brought home species that 
were new to me for the enlargement of my own collection. I 
also went by a day trip to Llandudno in search of lodgings, 
and found it possible for an excursionist to look over the place 
* Transactions of Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical 
Society. Bead at a General Meeting, Nov. 27, 1883. 
f “ Phycologia Britannica.” \ “ Nature Printed Sea-Weedg.” 
