HYDROIDS AND JELLY-FISHES. 



37 



mals, so different from itself, which we brought in and 

 placed in our Aquarium. If our eyes had been sharp 

 enough, or had we been in the habit of using the 

 microscope, we might have seen that very near the 

 tentacles around the mouth of each one of the little 

 animals were hanging bunches 

 of little spheres (No. 26).* 

 These are buds, quite differ- 

 ent from the buds of the stem ; 

 and from them are born the 

 singular little creatures, such 

 as the one I have just de- 

 scribed. 



Let us watch him now for 

 awhile, and see what becomes 

 of our fairy friend. From the 

 centre of the lower side hangs 

 down, as I have said, a kind of 

 proboscis (see wood-cut 25). 

 I use that word, because it is 

 the one used by naturalists to describe the thing ; but 

 I hope it will not remind you of an elephant's pro- 

 boscis, though I suppose you have never heard the 

 word used in any other connection. If you ever ex- 

 amine the almost imperceptible and transparent organ 

 attached to this little creature, aud called by naturalists 

 a proboscis, you will wonder that the same name should 

 be used to describe two things, one of which is so deli- 

 cate, and belongs to such a slight and transparent ani- 



* No. 26. A head of Coryne magnified, '> which a great 

 many are clustered together in wood-cut 24, where they are 

 shown in natural size. 



No. 26. 



