4 CLAVIDyE. 



minute hairs the palpocils, or organs of touch. The ex- 

 tremity of the tentacle possesses great prehensile power, 

 and the Annelid or small Crustacean which may come in 

 contact with it is at once made captive and firmly held 

 in spite of its struggles. 



Hab. Generally distributed on our coasts, between tide- 

 marks, commonly on stone. It is abundant in Devon and 

 Cornwall, and has been noticed in the Frith of Forth 

 (Wright), the Orkneys (Allman), and in Shetland (A.M.N) . 



2. C. SQUAMATA, Muller. 



HYDRA. SQUAMATA, Muller, Zool. Dan. i. 3, tab. iv. figs. 1-3. 

 CORYNE SQUAMATA, LcimJc. An. sans Vert. (2nd edit.) ii. 73. 

 CLAVA MEMBRANACEA, T. S. Wright, Ed. New Phil. Journ. (N. S.) for July 

 1857, pi. ii. figs. 2, 3. 



Plate I. fig. 2. 



POLYPITES in dense clusters, springing from a crust com- 

 posed of delicate membranous tubes agglutinated together, 

 tall, expanding above, of a rich reddish tint, with nume- 

 rous white tentacula, the clusters united by a simple, 

 filiform stolon ; GONOPHORES forming a broad and very 

 prominent collar round the body. 



Height of the polypites in extension from half an inch to 

 an inch. 



I HAVE little doubt that this form, which has been cha- 

 racterized by Wright under the name of C. membranacea, 

 is the Hydra squamata of Muller. In all important points 

 it agrees with the species so well described in the ' Danish 

 Zoology ;' and even the peculiar character of the crust is 

 indicated, when the author says of the polypites, "ope 

 microscopii ex materia mucida fucum vestiente, ortum 

 sximere videntur." Muller found his Hydra on the Fucus 



