STAURIDIUM. 67 



part of the entire tentacle, has been thrust far into the 

 throat. I cannot help thinking this may have been mis- 

 understood, and possibly some minute and irregular projec- 

 tions (which exist on the tentacles besides the regular masses 

 of thread-cells) may have been mistaken, on the tentacle's 

 return, for ova." He adds that the arms are often applied 

 to the glass. I have little doubt that this is the true 

 explanation of the appearances on which Dujardin's account 

 is based. 



The ovaries form longitudinal bands in the walls of the 

 maiiubrium, and seem to correspond in number with the 

 oral lobes. They are of a pinkish colour. After the 

 expulsion of the ova, the maiiubrium remains motionless 

 for some days and gradually dissolves away. 



According to Krohn, the free zooid of Cladonema lives on 

 a Conferva at the bottom of the sea, and seldom comes to 

 the surface. 



Hob. Devonshire (Gosse). It has also occurred in the 

 tanks in the Zoological Gardens, and abundantly in Mr. 

 Holdsworth's aquarium. 



[St. Malo (Dujardin): Messina (Krolm): Belgium (Van 

 Ben.}.] 



Genus STAURIDIUM, Dujardin. 



Der. from oravpos, a cross. 

 STAUEIDIA, T. S. Wright, Ed. N. P. Journal (N. S.) for April 1858. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. Stems simple or branched, rooted 

 by a creeping, filiform stolon, the whole invested by a poly- 

 pary ; polypites borne at the summit of the stems, subcylin- 

 drical, with several verticils of capitate tentacula disposed 

 in the form of a cross, and at some distance below these a 

 single verticil of false tentacles, or tactile organs, rigid, fili- 

 form, and covered with palpocils towards the free extremity , 



P2 



