37O CHAS. H. HARGITT. 



as will be seen in some of the illustrations of features to be de- 

 scribed presently. 



In view of the difficulty in accurately studying the otoliths of 

 preserved specimens no attention has been paid to that feature, 

 except incidentally. Something of a similar sort is true concern- 

 ing the matter of variation in tentacles. They are so subject to 

 mutilation and loss, to inequalities of regeneration, etc., that these 

 also have not been given special attention in connection with this 

 species. Chief attention has been directed to the radial canals, 

 and to a less extent the gonads. 



ASYMMETRY. 



In a few cases marked asymmetry was apparent. In Fig. 2 is 

 shown a condition found in several specimens. In the particular 

 one from which this sketch was made the medusa had 24 radial 

 canals, 1 2 of which were within a single quadrant of the umbrella, 

 the others being about equally distributed over the other three 

 fourths of the body. As will be observed, several of these canals 

 were incomplete, as were also the associated gonads, the latter 

 appearing to be either rudimentary or tending to degenerate. A 

 somewhat similar condition is shown in Fig. 8 ; where in addition 

 to the asymmetry, and incompleteness of several of the canals, 

 there is also a fusion of the terminal portions of some of the 

 canals. 



The earlier citation of the account of Agassiz concerning the 

 very " irregularly formed " condition of certain of these canals 

 during development is significant in this connection. It would 

 seem as if the condition involved in the case from which this 

 illustration was drawn might be of a similar nature, though in 

 the present instance, it must be remembered, that we are dealing 

 with an adult and not a young specimen. It may not be improb- 

 able that in certain instances these apparent irregularities found 

 during development may persist as permanent conditions in the 

 adult. 



RADIAL CANALS. 



Attention has been already directed to the fact that the canals 

 increase in number with the growth and age of the medusa. 

 No attention need be taken therefore of this feature in relation to 



