562 



THE OYDIPEE. 



animal is achieved simply by taking water slowly into the bells, and expelling it smartly, 

 much after the fashion of the ordinary Medusse. 



Trailing from the interior of the bells may be seen a curiously-elongated appendage, 

 studded with globules, which are, in fact, the offspring in different stages of development. A 

 number of tiny discs set on footstalks are also distributed along this appendage, and save the 

 power of adhesion to any object which they may happen to touch. 



COMB-BEARERS; CTENOPHORA. 



WE now come to a fresh order named Ctenophora, or comb-bearers, because their bodies 

 are furnished with rows of flattened cilia, set in rows above each other something like the 

 teeth of a comb. There are many members of this beautiful order to be found, of which the 

 common CYDIPPE is an excellent example. In the accompanying illustration it is drawn of its 

 natural size. 



This lovely creature may easily be captured by the simple process of towing a gauze net 

 over the side of a sailing boat. When removed from the water the net will be found studded 

 with variously-sized knobs of transparent gelatine, not particularly attractive, and presenting 

 no salient points whatever. Let, however, these apparently inanimate lumps of jelly be 

 transferred to a vessel filled with sea-water, and then how different is their aspect ! 



Until the eye is accustomed to their shapes, they are not very easily seen, owing to their 

 transparency and the similarity between their refractive powers and those of the water. I 

 have often noticed persons looking at my glass jars without discovering that a single living 

 creature was within them, though each jar was tenanted by two or three of these beautiful 

 creatures. 



By degrees, however, they became plainly visible, the chief points of attraction being the 

 eight bands of ever moving cilia that are drawn longitudinally over the body, and by 



means of which the creature performs its wonderful 

 evolutions. The Cydippe is never" still, but careers 

 through the water with ceaseless movement, sometimes 

 rising and falling in one spot, sometimes rolling over 

 and over, sometimes spinning on its longer axis, but 

 mostly pursuing a partly spiral course, turning slowly 

 on itself as it proceeds through the water. 



During these movements a faint iridescence plays 

 over the whole body of the Cydippe, but its chief glories 

 are concentrated upon the bands of cilia which are 

 drawn over the body. On these the colors are too brill- 

 iant, and yet evanescent, for description. Miniature 

 rainbows seem to ripple along these living belts ; and as 

 the Cydippe glides gracefully along, it appears to be 

 encircled with many diadems of self-illumined jewelry. 

 If examined by the microscope, the cilise of which the 

 locomotive bands are composed are seen to bear some 

 resemblance to very narrow Venetian blinds, each lath 

 closing or opening in regular succession. 



Pendent from the body are further seen two long 



filaments, to which are attached a number of shorter and still finer threads, not unlike the 

 hooks and snoods on a deep-sea line, and used, indeed, for a similar purpose. The Cydippe 

 can protrude or retract these tentacles at will, and is continually throwing them out from the 

 body or drawing them back again, so that they never seem to be exactly the same length, one 



CYDIPPE. Oydlppe pileue. 



