Miscellanea. 
377 
ALGiE OF TASMANIA. By W. H. Harvey, M.D., £c. 
(From the London Journal of Botany, August, 1844.; 
It is my intention to publish in the Journal of Botany, under the 
above title, descriptions of all Marine Plants which may be com¬ 
municated from Tasmania, either to Sir W. J. Hooker or to 
myself. At present, besides the parcel about to be noticed, I 
have under examination another package communicated by Mr. 
Gunn to Sir W. J. Hooker in 1840, the description of which, 
long since commenced, has been unavoidably delayed, but which 
will shortly appear ; and one from Dr. Jeanneret, which will form 
the subject of a succeeding paper. These several parcels are so 
interesting, and contain so great a number of new species, as to 
hold out the promise that when the shores of Van Diemen's Land 
are more fully explored, they will yield a Marine Flora richer in 
species, and more luxuriant and delicate in form than those of 
any other country in the world. The Florideai (or red-coloured 
sea-weeds) of these shores are particularly beautiful and curious, 
especially those of the tribe Rhodomelece, which there, seems to 
put on its highest development. We are less acquainted with 
the Fucoideje (olive-coloured sea-weeds); and I would beg es¬ 
pecially to request the attention of our colonial friends to these; 
and in doing so, would pray them to gather specimens of the 
whole frond, including the main stem from its base upwards. In 
general, the specimens of Fucoidem sent to Europe are so broken, 
that it is difficult to describe them, if new ; or to refer them to 
the several described species. This is especially the case with 
Sargassa and Cystoseirce. The species of these genera are known 
to be very variable in their characters, often producing leaves of 
different form on different parts of the same frond, a circumstance 
that renders it particularly difficult, and often mischievous, to 
make descriptions from any but the most perfect specimens, or a 
series of such. 
Should I be so fortunate as to awaken an interest in this 
neglected department of botany among Van Diemen's Land 
botanists, and should they place in my hands sufficient materials 
for an “ Algologia Tasmanica,” it is my wish to undertake such 
