1 22 Zoological Society, 



" Soon after, another Glaucus began a devouring attack upon an- 

 other Porpita which had been placed in the glass, eating a little of 

 it and then ceasing after a short meal, occasionally renewing the at- 

 tack at short intervals. On examining the Porpita, which had been 

 partially devoured by the ravenous Glaucus, I found the disc had 

 been cleared of the tentacles and other soft parts ; a small part of the 

 fleshy portion only remaining upon the disc. Only one part of the 

 horny disc exhibited any injury, and that appeared to be the place 

 where the animal was first grasped by the Glaucus. 



" When any of these animals came in contact with another in the 

 glass, they did not display any annoyance, or coil themselves up, 

 nor did they evince any savage propensities one towards the other ; 

 and they would often float about, having their digitated processes in 

 contact one with the other, without exhibiting any signs of annoy- 

 ance ; even when placed or pushed one against the other, they did 

 not manifest any irritation, but remained undisturbed as in their 

 usual moments of quiet repose. 



" On the back of the animal being seen in a strong light, a black 

 line could be discerned on each margin, and passing down the centre 

 of each fin, and sometimes varied in having two black lines on the 

 upper part of one fin, although the opposite fin may display but one. 

 " The margin between the falling of the purple colour of the back 

 into the silvery white of the abdomen often exhibited beautiful tints 

 of a golden green ; but these variations were probably produced by 

 the effect of different rays of light. 



"These animals soon perished ; I could not preserve them for any 

 length of time in the glass of sea water, although the water was 

 changed as often as it was thought necessary ; the digitated pro- 

 cesses of the fins were observed to shrink up on the death of the 

 animal, and the process of decomposition rapidly took place, the 

 whole body becoming a shapeless mass, having a bluish colour of 

 deadly hue for a short period, and then became of a blackish or 

 brownish black colour. I have seldom seen a gelatinous animal 

 which appeared so firm whilst in the water, that proved so speedily 

 to decompose when removed from it ; even the beautiful purple of 

 the back, the silvery or enamel of the abdomen, and the silvery blue 

 of the sides, all speedily vanish, indeed instantly disappear, upon the 

 death of the animal, as if it had been washed off; the expansive, de- 

 licate, and beautiful fins and digitated processes are no longer seen ; 

 they shrank up to nothing. 



" Even on taking the animal alive out of the water and placing it 

 upon the hand, that instant almost, from its extreme delicacy, it was 

 destroyed : the digitations of the fins fell off, the least movement 

 destroyed the beauty of the animal; it speedily lost all the deep 

 purple and silvery enamelled tints, and became a loathsome mass. 

 Thus do we too often find animals beautiful in external adornments, 

 curious in their habits and organization, and calculated in every re- 

 spect to supply us with inexhaustible sources of intellectual gratifi- 

 cation, doomed speedily to perish ; brief is the period allotted to 

 them in the busy theatre of animated existence; but doubtless, with 



