CORYNE VAN-BENEDENII. 47 



time by means of its rudimentary tentacles, and at last 

 fixes itself by tlie base and assumes the perfect form. 



Through the kindness of the late Mr. Alder I have had 

 the opportunity of examining specimens supplied by Van 

 Beneden himself, and found at Ostend, and I am thus 

 enabled to describe some of the earlier stages of de- 

 velopment. 



The gonosacs are capacious and contain a single em- 

 bryo, which occupies the centre of the cavity. 



The oral extremity is uppermost ; and four rudimentary 

 tentacles can be distinguished through the walls of the 

 sac, in mature specimens, surrounding a prominent pro- 

 boscis. Four simple tubular processes, taking their origin 

 in opposite pairs at the base of the gonosac, embrace the 

 embryo, and converge above it (Plate IX. fig. 1 c}. They 

 are the representatives of the gastrovascular canals. 



We have in this case a mode of reproduction very 

 similar to that which is met with in the genus Tubnlaria. 



I am unable to give any British habitat for C. Van- 

 Benedenii. It has never occurred to myself, nor have 

 I received it from any of my correspondents. Dr. 

 Johnston, however, has given an original and very 

 characteristic figure of it, which was taken from British 

 examples, and he states that it is often parasitical on 

 Tubularia indivisa. 



The Syncoryna pusiHa of Van Bencdcn's latest work* 

 is a different species, and referable to the next genus. 



* Reclierchos sur la Faunc Littoralc deBclgique, Pott/jifx, 1S(>0. \i. 11',). 



