210 Miscellaneous. 



presence of a canal, but he had not been able to satisfy himself that 

 one actually exists there. The external surface of the tentacula, 

 especially at their edges, is covered by a great number of the filife- 

 rous cells or capsules, already described as being present in the ex- 

 ternal layer of the body. The edges and inner surface of the mouth, 

 and the whole of the surface of the internal cavity or stomach, are 

 covered with cilia ; and minute cilia, not easily detected, are present 

 on the outer surface of the tentacula, so that currents of water, un- 

 less when the mouth is shut, are constantly passing in and out from 

 the stomach and along the tentacula. 



These animals increased considerably in size, and began to pro- 

 duce stolons and buds about the middle of January ; and though at 

 this period the original number had been considerably reduced, the 

 whole lower surface of the stone is now almost covered with them, 

 and at present they amount to between 200 and 300. Whenever a 

 stolon or bud is formed, this commences by a thickening of the in- 

 ternal layer at that part, which causes a bulging outwards of the ex- 

 ternal layer. Some of the buds were detached, and cilia, in motion, 

 were observed upon their external surface, though none have yet 

 been detected upon the external surface of the body where buds were 

 not forming. Some of these buds were found detached, probably by 

 accident, and lying at the bottom of the vessel in which the stone is 

 kept, and these passed through the same amount of development as 

 those adhering to the body of the animal, and in due time attached 

 themselves to the surface of the vessel in which they were kept. In 

 several animals the upper half of the body was cut off transversely 

 by Dr. Reid, and after three or four days the lower or cut end closed 

 in, and by the sixth day they had attached themselves firmly to the 

 inner surface of the vessel, and shortly assumed all the appearances 

 of the entire animal, sending out stolons and forming buds ; new 

 tentacula and a new mouth were also, after several days, formed 

 upon the upper end of the lower half of the divided animals. Several 

 were cut longitudinally through their whole length, and when means 

 were not taken to keep the cut edges apart, they again soon adhered, 

 and no traces of the incisions remained. In one the two halves 

 were kept apart, and in each the cut edges approximated and ad- 

 hered, and two separate animals were thus produced. Several were 

 separated from the stone to which they adhered, and, if not much 

 disturbed, they attached themselves in the course of three or four 

 days to the inner surface of the vessel. Several were found adhering 

 to the inner surface of the vessel in which the stone is kept ; and two 

 small specimens were observed upon the outer surface of a small 

 mussel, which had been placed in the vessel containing them a few 

 days before ; and when this mussel was removed to a separate vessel, 

 they left the surface of the mussel, and attached themselves to the 

 inner surface of the vessel. The greater number of them, however, 

 appear to remain nearly stationary. These animals did not divide 

 into young Medusse in March and April, as was to be expected, but 

 are at the present time still propagating themselves by stolons and 



