Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
"Each rock pool has its treasure, every tide
Strews on the yellow sand, from Ocean's lap
Weeds than our flowers more fair."
Graceful as are the Wild Flowers which we have culled to adorn these pages, how much more from their elegant forms, varied structure and surpassingly bright colors, are the plants of the Ocean to be admired; the more we gaze on them, the greater is our regret that they have received so little attention and consideration at the hands of scientific men, until of late years when such writers as Harvey and Landsborough have opened out the way to a proper investigation of them. "So endless are they" (remarks the former author in the introduction to his Nereis Australis) " in these favoured latitudes, and yet so imperfectly explored, that in no country equally accessible can the Marine Botanist find a field to work upon which will yield him better fruit, or furnish to the science which he cultivates more important and interesting results. Here Nature appears in new and sportive forms, in aspect startingly dissimilar from what we of the old world are conversant with, but connected by the delicate web of affinity in a manner often little expected by the common observer, and only discernible by those who delight to trace in the endless variety of natural forms, the unity of design which characterises the whole." And if our learned friend had reason so to write, when he published the Work from which we have quoted, how much more reason has he now after a recent visit to these shores, when he records having collected "20,000 specimens of 600 species of Seaweeds, besides incidental collections of Marine Zoology" to laud the richness of our seas! Already in the beautiful publication which is the result of this visit, have appeared above two hundred figures of the most lovely of our Algae from various parts of the Australian coast, and most sincerely do we wish the labors of Dr. Harvey may be appreciated as they richly deserve.
Seaweeds, as doubtless many of our readers are aware, differ from land plants in having no true flowers, without any proper roots, but nourished through their entire surface by the water in which they grow, and propagated as many others of the order Cryptogamia, to which they belong, by means of spores arranged in various way on the frond.
Algæ are divided into three series; the first of which is termed Melanospermeæ, from the spores of the plants comprised in it being black or olive colored. They generally grow at half tide level, becoming less frequent towards low water mark, and gradually getting darker in color the deeper they grow. In this series there are many interesting plants, such as Sargassum, Seirococcus, the Sporochnus, distinguishable by the tuft of soft hairs which crown—brush like—the tips of the branches, the rare Bellotia Eriophorum, Padina from the Queenscliff pools, and several species of the Zonaria.
Many of the Fucaceæ were at one time, and perhaps to some extent now are, valuable for the manufacture of kelp,—some useful as food, and a nutritive diet for invalids, and many yielding Iodine so extensively used in medicine, in great quantity,
"Comforting the tossings of pain with its violet tinctured essence."
In the second series, or Rhodospermeæ, almost all the plants are purple or rose-colored and some of the most elegant forms which our Nereis affords are found here. For delicacy what can compare with the various forms, like spun glass, of the Griffithsia, a genus named after that talented Algologist, , and the pretty banded Ceramiæ. Chrysimenia has its representative in the rock pools at Queenscliff in the species obovata, which, when cast ashore and bleached, Professor Harvey fancies has some resemblance to the egg clusters of some of the Gasteropodous Mollusca, so frequent on our beaches, the little horny branchlets (ramuli) being invariably ruptured. The Hypnæa episcopalis is sure to be met with, and may be at once known by its long and naked hooked branchlets or tendrils, deep crimson at their tips; from which color and their peculiar form, they have been fancifully supposed to resemble a bishop's crozier—and hence the specific term—episcopalis. The varied forms of Plocamium will give work enough to the student, but their extreme elegance will amply repay him. The family Rhodomelaceæ abounds in beauties,—the hairy, blood red Dasyas; the dark brownish purple Lenormandia, from the midrib of which spring obtuse leaflets (phyllodia); the bright Polyzonias, parasitic on Gelidium glandulæfolium and other Algæ; the oakleaved Thuretia, and the tessellated Amansia linearis are amongst the prettiest of the Australian Algæ, the former composed of a delicate rose-colored network, spread out on the stems which serve as midribs as in an oakleaf; a microscope only will reveal their beauties, no words can adequately describe them.
Amongst the Chlorospermeæ there are few which can vie in beauty with the Apjohnia latevirens (named after Mrs. Apjohn, a very zealous Algologist); it may be found growing in rock pools at Queenscliff, Lady Bay and elsewhere: in its young stage the plant is composed of a number of club-shaped stems about three inches in height, and of a dark green color, but later trichotomous branches grow from these and form an umbel; at first they are glossy, but afterwards become incrusted with carbonate of lime.
The Caulerpas which abound here, afford, we learn from Berkeley, (Cryptogamic Botany, page 162), nutriment to a host of smaller animals. It is these lovely plants that ornament so richly the sides of all the rock pools at the sea-shore. C. Muelleri in its place of growth, freely waving its dark green fronds under the clear water, so much resembled the branches of the Norfolk Island Pine, that Dr. Harvey had named it C. Araucaria, and C. scalpelliformis is named from the knife-like form of its pinnae. A strange peculiarity in this species is recorded in the "Phycologia Australica," noticed by Mr. Henty, of Georgetown, Tasmania. After having been dried, it will on being subsequently moistened on one side, curl up like the sensitive fish-toys made out of horn shavings, and Mr. Henty has named it the "Marine Sensitive Plant."
The green Algae (Chlorospermeæ) inhabit shallow water, but the Red (Rhodospermeæ) must be sought for at a much greater depth by means of the dredge, should the collector desire them in really good condition; the pretty white specimens which our Lady Algologists consider so great a boon, are valueless,—that color, as in the Corallines, being but the condition of death; the Apjohnia lætevirens, naturally of a pale green, and the black Melanthalia with many others, are frequently found in this state, but they should be rejected, or retained only until more perfect specimens are obtained.
Already in our chapter on the Aquarium, our readers will have seen how necessary Seaweeds are to maintain the purity of the waters, and thus the lives of the dwellers therein. It is scarcely possible to give any true picture of the vast amount of life dependent on these marine plants. "The great forests of Fuci and Seaweeds," (remarks Mrs. Sommerville,—Physical Geography, 4th edition, page 412) "are everywhere a mass of infinitely varied forms of animal life, either parasitical, feeding on them, or seeking shelter among them." Darwin too in his interesting book to which we have elsewhere referred, says, that "a great volume might be written, describing the inhabitants of one of these beds of Seaweeds: often as I recurred to a branch of the kelp, I never failed to discover animals of new and curious structure." Who now then will question the uses of Algae? Each one indeed—
"Holds a rank, which, lost,
Would break the chain and leave a gap behind
Which Nature's self would rue!"
Absolutely necessary as it is that Algae should not be subjected to the action of the sun, which causes rapid decomposition and loss of color, the collector who, to a certain extent, will be dependent on drift weeds, must be up betimes in the morning to take advantage of such specimens as may have been driven in, either by the early tide, or are found floating in the pools which it has left; there are many species, however, which may be taken from the rocks on which they grow, and thus more favourable conditions be obtained, and good specimens of the Melanthalia will frequently be found so firmly imbedded in the sand, as only to be dislodged with difficulty. The roots and fronds of all Seaweeds should be carefully searched by aid of a pocket lens, for they are sure to yield some valuable objects for microscopic investigation, Membranipora, Laomedea, Plumularia, Sertularia, Campanularia, &c.
It will not require much practice to enable the amateur to discriminate between what is really worth culling from the dense heaps he will sometimes find on shore; those he selects may for a time be placed in a small gutta percha bag or covered basket, and on arriving home they should be carefully sorted before proceeding further; the species of some genera (as Sporochnus) decomposing other plants with which they may happen to come into contact. If it is intended to send specimens home, they may be spread out thinly to dry without squeezing or washing, until completely shrivelled, but sufficiently dry to prevent fermentation; the salt preserves them from decay, and keeps them by its slight deliquescence in a pliant state.[1] If to forward through the post to a friend, the most delicate specimens wrapped in very fine muslin and enclosed in thin gutta percha or tin foil, will travel safely and last for some days; but when required for the Herbarium, no time should be lost in their preparation, so soon does decomposition set in, more especially in those of delicate structure; the process is a simple one, and practice will teach more than a volume on the subject; yet we will give some concise instructions which will no doubt be beneficial.
The specimens to be preserved having been sorted, so as to keep together the smaller and more membranous kinds, place them for a few minutes into a large bowl of freshwater, and whilst they are soaking there, cut into different sizes some good white thick cartridge paper, (the better it is, the more beautiful will be the specimens); then selecting any one plant, transfer it to another dish of clean water, taking care that all sand and extraneous matter has been removed by the first ablution, and when it is properly expanded, place one of the papers underneath it, and gradually withdraw it so as not to disarrange the natural position it has assumed. A forceps or quill is often used to correct any slight defect in the specimen, but we do not recommend it,—a soft camel's hair brush will answer every purpose. The specimen should now be placed on white blotting paper, each sheet being filled, when layers of several sheets must be placed on them, and then more specimens, and more layers of soaking paper. Many collectors place calico or muslin over their plants to prevent the paper adhering to them, but it frequently marks the specimen, and we seldom use it, preferring to give the sheets but a gentle pressure at first, increasing it gradually as they become dry. Presses and weights are used to press the specimens in the drying sheets, but we in preference use well seasoned boards of about the size of an ordinary sheet of blotting paper, secured round the sides and middle by buckled straps. Every morning, fresh dry sheets must be substituted for the wet ones, and the straps buckled tighter. A few boards and paper are easily carried by the tourist wherever he or she may go, and they have one great advantage, they occupy far less room than any other apparatus which can be used for the purpose.
The specimens being dry, the student will proceed to an examination of them with a view to their classification; so alike apparently are many of the Algae, that it is well before sitting down to work to obtain a good collection; and without being in a hurry to arrange them specifically, first sort them into their various genera, whereby much subsequent confusion will be saved. Many plants (Bryopsis, for example,) are so variable that it requires the eye of a skilful Algologist to decide what are species or what merely varieties. It is always desirable to have a few good typical specimens named, and the others can be more readily worked out by means of some good Manual; that of Dr. Landsborough for instance, will afford much information on the British Genera, many of which are well represented in the Southern Ocean. The aid of the microscope is necessary to identify very many species, and small fragments of the frond may either be fastened down in a cell filled with distilled water, or moistened when required.
The arrangement of species must now be thought of. A few portfolios of limp cardboard with loose cloth back should include all the species of one genus, and more durable ones again receiving all the genera comprised in a Family, and finally these Families may be stowed away in any manner most convenient for ready access.
The study of Seaweeds has been deemed frivolous from the days of Horace and Virgil, but we are proud to be their champion, and hope that these brief pages may instil a taste for the "countless laughing gleams of deep seaweeds" into many who peruse them.