and Fennatula phosphorca, 331 



(An, sans Vert. ii. 418,) and Schweigger, (Unte7\ uber Coral) 

 reasoning from what is known regarding other compound ani- 

 mals, have denied the existence of this great locomotive power 

 in a zoophyte placed so low in the scale, as contrary to every ana- 

 logy, and not necessary to the existence or wants of the animal. 

 The Virgularia mirabilis, (Pennatula mirabilis. Mull.) is 

 one of the most beautiful and rare zoophytes found on this 

 coast. The specimens measured from six to ten inches in 

 length, and were dredged up in deep water on the north side 

 of Inch Keith. They perfectly correspond in form and ex- 

 ternal appearance with the elegant coloured figure given by 

 Muller, (Zool. Dan. Tab. xi.) Their aa^is is calcareous, 

 solid, white, brittle, flexible, cylindrical, of equal thickness 

 throughout, and exhibits no mark of attachment at either end. 

 When broken, it exhibits a radiated surface, like the broken 

 spine of an echinus. The axis appears to have little connec- 

 tion with the fleshy part, and to consist of concentric layers 

 deposited by the soft parts surrounding it. When a portion 

 of the axis is broken off* from either extremity, the animal 

 retracts at that part, so as continually to expose a fresh naked 

 portion of the axis : hence we can take out the axis entirely 

 from its soft sheath, and we always find the lower pinnae of 

 the animal drawn up closely together, as if by the frequent 

 breaking of the base. These very delicate and brittle animals 

 seem to be confined to a small circumscribed part of the coast 

 which has a considerable depth and a muddy bottom, and the 

 fishermen accustomed to dredge at that place believe, from 

 the cleanness of the Virgularias when brought to the surface, 

 that they stand erect at the bottom with one end of the axis 

 fixed in the mud or clay. Muller's specimens were likewise 

 found on a part of the Norwegian coast with a muddy bottom. 

 The polypi^ much resembling those of the common Lobularia 

 digitata^ are long, cylindrical, transparent, marked with longi- 

 tudinal white lines, and have eight tentacula which present long 

 slender transparent filaments or cilicB on each of the lateral 

 surfaces when fully expanded. The polypi are easily perceived 

 extending through the lateral expansions or pinncB, to near 

 the solid axis, where we observe two transverse rows of 

 small round white ova placed under each pinna, and con- 



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