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JOHN RALFS. 291
that ho was on a visit to Dr. Fox, with a view to consulting the
Bristol surgeon, and was then better and able to get about with one
crutch. For many years afterwards his health was so bad that he
was often unable to do any botanical work for months together.
In 18^8, after several delays occasioned by illness, his great
work was published, * The British Desmidieae,' probably the finest
monograph which has appeared of any group of British plants.
The descriptions are complete and lucid, the synonymy is very
carefully worked out, and the analyses are in Kalfs's characteristically
terse style. Particular attention is given to the reproductive
states of the plants, which had been previously observed in very few
species. An appendix contains descriptions of the species not known
to occur in Britain, and the small number of these is an evidence
of the leading position Ealfs had taken up as an authority upon the
group. In a few years he had raised the number of known British
Desmids from four to a hundred and eighty. Mr. E, Jenner's
beautiful drawings contributed much to the value of the work, for
lie was not only an excellent di-aughtsman, but a good botanist, and
well acquainted with the Desmids. During the preparation of the
work Pialfs had extensive correspondence with Brebissou, Kiitzing,
Montagne, and other leading foreign algologists. Berkeley seems
to have been of great assistance in many ways.
In the autumn of 1819, writing to Mr. Berkeley from Ilfracombe,
Ealfs says :— " I have done very little this summer, as
I have enjoyed but very few days of sufficient health to go out."
During the year, however, he sent two short papers to the Edinburgh
Bot. Soc, "On the mode of growth of Oscillatoria, Calothrix," &c.
In 1850 he contributed to the same Society a paper on the Xusto-
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