;l ■!
f: ||
II
, î T
coiifimdere. Si tandem eadem esse inveniatur, transitus facilis
a specie ad varietatem ; semel vero confusa, ægre iterum distin-
guuntur.”
I t is yet somewhat donbtful what is the plant which D i l l -
WYN has represented under the name of Conferva foetida ;
though I am inclined to think the object of the present description
is correctly referred to it. In habit the two plants agree.
The greatest difference is, in the single series of granules, which
is represented in D i l l w y n ’s figure as filling up the whole filament.
According to Captain C a r m i c h a e l , who has favoured
me with a drawing of this plant, the filaments sometimes
occur of an opake purplish-brown colour. Is it not possible
that Conferva comoides of D i l l w y n and S m it h {Scyto-
nema comoides, A g . ) may be a state of Monema Dillwynii ?
Conferva comoides is a very flaccid plant, growing in precisely
the same manner, and in the same situation as the other. I
have my doubts also whether any true species of Scytonema
grow in the sea. Scyt. Sowerhyanum A g . from its structure
should be removed from that genus.
Monema Dillwynii is furnished with an obvious tubular
membrane, and is distinctly branched. Like M. quadripunctatum,
it is of a simple structure, not compounded of other filaments.
Such, also, appears to be Bangia micans of L y n g b
y e , judging from his figure ; and certainly Monema apicula-
tum {Gloionema apiculatum of tbis work).
The specimen of Conferva foetida given b y J u r g e n s in
his work, is undoubtedly the same as the p la n t I have figured,
and yet he quotes the Conferva foetida of “ English Botany”
as optime! Of the C. foetida of V a u c h e r he is correctly dubious.
Fig. I. M. Dillwynii, natural size. Fig. 2 . Portion o f a filament. Fig. 3.
Ditto. Fig. 4. Portion o f a filament, as observed by Captain Carmichael.
F ig 5. Cranules; magnified.