JOURNAL OF TEE ROYAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. FEBRUARY 1886. TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. I.-Frmhwa&w Alga (including Ch/orophyllmeous Protophyta) of tb English Lake District; with descriptiom of twelve mw species. By ALFRED W. BENNETT,F.R.N.S., F.L.S., Lecturer on Botany at St. Thomas's Hospital. (Read 13th January, 1886.) PLATESI. AXD II. Tm following is a record of the fresh-water organisms observed d&g a six weeks' stay in Aupst and the early part of September 1885, in the district between Windermere and Langdale, West- moreland. As nearly every day's observation added some fresh ies to the list, it is probable that the record is a very incorn- one of the microscopic aquatic flora of this very rich district. B 2 Transactions of the Society. Nor does it include even all the species actually observed, but onIy such as previous knowledge or the books at command enabled me to identify, or such as I had reason to believe were hitherto un- described forms. In particular the Oscillariaceae and Diatomacee require niuch more careful working out. The Desmiclieae naturally form a considerable portion of the list. During the year 1884 the most important addition to the literature of this interesting class since Ralfs’s ‘ British Des- midiez’ (1848) has been made, in the publication of the Rev. F. Wolle’s ‘ Desmids of the United States.’ Although something has been clone in the interval by Archer, Cooke, Bisset, and others, yet, notwithstanding the great beauty and variety of the form in desmids, and the ease with which a large number of species can be recognized, it is probable that more still remains to be done in this group than in any other of the English flora. It is impossible to praise too highly the beauty and accuracy of the drawings, as a whole, in lialfs’s work. In many instances, however, niy measure- ments ranged somewhat larger than those of the veteran desmidio- logist. With regard to the distribution of desmids, many species seem to be almost ubiquitous, occurring in nearly all gatherings, from all altitudes. Whether other species are, like those of flowering plants, limited in geographical area or in adaptability to climate, is a question which has yet to be answered, and the answering of which mill be by no means easy. I have thought, however, that I have noticed that the larger and more striking species are especially abundant at high altitudes. Gatherings from about 1800 feet, above Codale and Easedale Tarns, were especially rich in these. Unless otherwise stated, all the species named were observed in the district of Loughrigg, Westmoreland. The gatherings were Fig. 18.--Staurnsti~tm bidlosum Benn. x 400. ,, 19. 11 ,, empty frond x 400. ,, 20. 9) ,, front view x 400. ,, 21. ,, teliferum Ralfs var. conuemm Benn., front view x 400. ,I 22. I, ,, dividing, early stage x 400. 9, 23. ,I 39 ,, later stage x 400. 9, 24. ,, tuberculutum Benn. x 400. ,) 25. ,, enorme Ralfs x 400. ,, 2S.-Tetmcmorus penioides Benn. x 200. ,, 27.-Zypema c)uciutum Cleve, zggosperm germinating while in parent- cell x 200. ,, 28.-Zygnemn H&ulliz Benn., filament in non-conjugating condition x 200. ,, 29. , ,, filament before conjugation x 200. ,, 30. 7% ,, filaments in conjugation x 200. ,, 31.--bfesesocaipus 7 wmanrensis Benn. x 200. ,, 32. 9, ,, with zpgoaperm x 200 ,, ~3.-Gdogonitcm mncrandritm Wittr. x 200. Fresh-watev Qlgx, dc. By A. W. Bennett. 3 made especially from bog and moor pools, met rocks, and the smaller streams. None were taken from the larger streams or lakes.* PROTOPHYTA. PALMELLACEW. Eremosphzra viridis dBy. Glceocystis vesiculosa Nag. ,, rupestris Rabh. Y? botryoides ? Ktz. Schizochlamys gelatinom A. Br. l’almella mucoaa Rtz. Botryococcus Braunii Etz. What may poasibly prove to be a second species of this genus was frequently met with in bog pools. Eaeh colony was about 40 p in diameter, composed aa a rule of thirty-two cells, with no evident investing gelatinous envelope, swimming with considerable velocity and at the same time rotating in the water, without any a areat motive power. The cells themselves were elliptical, and &d with a light green endochrome. Rhaphidium falcatum Cooke (R. polymorphum var. c fa& catum Rabh.). Nephrocytium Agardhianum Nag. 29 Nagelii Griin. Ophiocytium cochleare A. Br. I take this to be identical with 0. m+s Kag.; bnt is the genus rightly placed under vegetable organisms at all ? Scenedesmus acutus Mey. J7 quadricauda Br6b. PROTOCOCCACEB. Protococcus viridis Ag. Chlorococciim gigas Griin. Chlamydococcus pluvialis ? A. Br. CHROOCOCCAOl3E. Chroococcus turgidus Nag. Wetherlam, Lancasbire. Aphanocapsa virescens Rabh. Forming jelly-like masses on a moist rock along with Nosfoe ItunziftbStbTn. * The names of new species are printed in SMALL cArrTAr.s ; those of spec& new to Britain iti italics. E2 4 Transadions of the Society. Aphanocrtpsa rivularis Rabh. Forming large green shining ,jelly-like masses on grasses hanging over into a spring on Park Fell, Lanwhire, inclosing numerous rhizopcds, diatoms, K.C. Microcystis marginata Eirch. This interesting organism was observed several times in gather- ings from moor pools. The pale blue-green cells were seen to be in constant motion within the hyaline investing membrane. Merismopedia glauca Nag. Wetherlam, Lancashire. MERISMOPEDIA? PALUDOSA n. sp. Plate I. fig. 1. Each family composed of eight cells, closely packed together without intermediate spaces, and with no evident gelatinous en- velope. Cells square in outline with rounded corners, remarkably regular in form, and each divided into four; cell-contents blue- green. Length of colony, 50 p; breadth, 25 p; cells 12.5 p in length and breadth.* The small number of cells in a colony, and the absence of spaces between the cells, seem su5cient to characterize the species. It was gathered in bog pools, Loughrigg. OSCILLARIICEB. Omillaria violacea Rabh. ,, tenuis Ag. Lyngbya ochracea Thur. ,, innndata Cooke (Phormidium inundatum Ktz.). Ambleside. SIROSIPHONEB. Stigonema saxicolum? Nag. On damp rocks, along with Nostoc humificsum. NOSTOCACEE. Anabaena Hassallii Nords. & Wittr. Cylindrospermum macrospermum Ktz. J> catenaturn Ralfs. Furness Fells, Lanca- shire. Nostoc humifusum Carm. On moist rocks. Nosroc HYALLINUMn. sp. Figs. 2, 3. Free-swimming, very minute. Gelatinous envelope globose or slightly ellipsoidal, 0 - 2 1 mm. in diameter, lamellose, perfectly colourless and transparent. Trichome single in each envelope, * These measurements correspond nearly with those given by Nazeli (‘Gattnngen cinzelhger Algen’) for M. glaucn, but I canuot rt,concile Dr. Choke’s relative meaauremcnta of the different species of Merisinopediu with his plates. hbmovm.&us ellipsoidal or nearly globose, green, 5 p in (&butforty to the length of tho envelope). Eeterocysts bba,very few in number, threc to four in each envelop, @end, green, 6-7 p in diameter. several vimens obtained from a bog pool, Loughrigg Fell. It Borne resamblance to N. mhzutissimacm Ktz., but is much smaller, and the triohomes are much less densely packed in the h dine envelope. According to Kiitzing all the free-swimming ddocs me attached at ht; but this does not seem to be the case with this speciee. ALGB. PEDIABTRE2E. p-nun angdosum Ehrb. ,) Boryanm Turp. ), Ehrenbergii A. Br. P~XAS~UXOOMPAOTUM n. sp. Figs. 4,5. Canobium opal and perfectly regular, 0.09-0'16 mm. in length (or probably more), rather more than half as broad as long. Pkphery oomposed of thirty-two hate cells (in the smaller speci- mene), with two somewhat divergent, very slender tapering, not Wenfate horns, quite as long as the cells themselves. Inrier cells irregalarly polygonal and densely packed, without any laciin~~,in 24 mw~. Ccenobinm invested with a distinct gelatinous en- velop. Endochrome yellom-green ; that of the peripheral cells of s deeper colonr, which gives the appearance, under a low power, of a deep green border. Length of cells ahout 6 p. Bog pools, Loughrigg, not infrequent. The perfectly regular elliptical form, the much yellower endochrome, and the absence of my interstitial spaces between the cells, give this Pedinstrzcuh a Very &tinct appearance from all others with which I am ac- In shape it resembles P. ellipticum Ehrb. (judging LmBslfs$ figme), but differs widely in other respects. ULOTI~ICBACEIE. B0-k moniliformie Rabh. y9 cakniformk? Eta. ulothrix ZOnaih Ktz. Grisedale, Camberland. coNFERVAaE2E. GnfaVS fontbalk Be&, 9, tenerrha Ktz. ¶, bombyciria Ag. ~~mpomvulgaris Rabh. 6 Trmwuctions of the 8oclety. CEBTOPHOBACIEZ. Draparnaldia glomerata Ag. Furness Fells, Lancashire. On previous occasions of observing this beautiful plant, I have been struck wit,h the extremely long hyaline seta with which the branches end, many times longer than the green portion of the branch. This is not so figured in this speciea by either Hassall, Kiitzing, or Cooke, though it is in other less common species of the genus. DIATOMAC~. Eunotia Arcus W. Sm. Above Easedale Tam. diodon Ehrb. Cygbella Ehrenbergii Ktz. ,, afiis Rtz. Surirella biseriata BrBb. ,, linearis W. Sm. ,, pinnata W. Sm. Nitzschia sigmoidea W. Sm. Above Easedale Tarn. ,, linearis W. Sm. Amphioxys W. Sm. Na$cula rhomboides Ehrb. ,, rhyncocephala Etz. ,, ovalis W. Sm. ,, amphirhynchus W. Sm. Pinnularia major W. Sm. ,, viridis W. Sm. ,, oblonga W. Sm. ,, lata W. Sm. ,, acuta W. Sm. ,, radiosa W.Sm. ,, gracilis Ehrb. Stauroneis Phmnicentrum Ehrb. 9, gracilk Ehrb. anceps Ehrb. Sp&a pulchella ? Ktz. ,, minutissima Kte. ,, radians W. Sm. ,, Ulna Ehrb. ,, fasciculata Ktz. Gomphonema geminatum Ag. Ambleside. 9, constrictum Ehrb. Do. 9, wuminatum Ehrb. Do. 9, tenellurn W. Sm. Do, Himantidium pectinale Etz. ?f undulatum W. Sm, 9) Arcus W. Sm. Fresh-water Alfi~,&c. By A. W. Bennett. 7 Odontidium hiemale Htz. Ambleside. Fragilaria capucina Desm. Diatoma vulgare Bory. ,, grande W. Sm. elongatum Ag. T’cid’ll e aria flocculosa Ktz. ,, fenestrata Etz. Melosira varians Ag. DESMIDIEB. Hyalotlieca dissiliens Sm. Didymoprium Borreri Ralfs. Desmidinm Swartzii Ag. 9, quadrangulatum Balfs.