/2 CRISTATELLA MUCEDO. 



that they are closely confined within the coencecium until the end 

 of the autumn, when the whole colony breaks up and perishes. 

 The liberated statoblasts are then free either to float upon the 

 surface of the water, or, by their extraordinary grappling-iron-like 

 threads, to attach themselves to the water-weeds in their locality. 

 These statoblasts are themselves beautiful microscopical objects, 

 and I have copied their appearance in two positions from 

 Professor Allman's monograjDh (Plate X., Figs. 3, 4). 



While none of the parent animals are ever found during the 

 winter months, the statoblasts weather through the cold and icy 

 days to welcome the spring sunshine — caskets of beauty, ready 

 to open their valves for the discharge of the creature which grows 

 into the colony of the succeeding summer. 



They come — 



" From every chink and secret corner. 

 Where they slept away the wintry storms." 

 On the 12th April, 1879, I found one of these embryo colonies of 

 Cristatella and the empty valves of the statoblast beside it. It 

 had an irregularly, pear-shaped cyst, with two orifices, through 

 which two lophophores protruded, and for several days I had the 

 pleasure of watching its beautiful movements. It soon died, 

 however, in the zoophyte trough; but on May ist another 

 appeared, although I had not the good fortune to observe the 

 process of emission. This specimen was particularly active, 

 adhering to the glass slide; it continually changed its shape, and 

 protruded and withdrew its tentacles, now half unfolded, now in 

 full expansion. In two of its stages I made drawings under the 

 tinted reflector (PI. IX., Figs, i, 2); and although in the "Micro- 

 graphic Dictionary " the youthful creature is portrayed in all the 

 symmetry of artistic propriety, my interesting guest never once 

 appeared in so proper an attitude. I expected to see the juvenile 

 Cristatella as described in the " Dictionary," and in Rymer 

 Jones's "General Structure of the Animal Kingdom," the one 

 drawing being evidently copied from the other; but instead of this 

 perfection of symmetry, my specimens assumed forms quite 

 different. In the drawings referred to it will be noticed that the 

 statoblast has divided from the apex to the base across the centre 

 of the structure. This, I think, must be an error, as Professor 



