272 ILYANTHID^. 



ejected at intervals by the same orifice, when undisturbed, 

 and that so forcibly as to hurl the floating atoms to the 

 distance of two inches. I am pretty sure that I have also 

 seen an inflowing current ; but this is more gradual, and 

 therefore less conspicuous. The orifice must be considered 

 as only a provision for respiration, and not as a termination 

 to the alimentary canal : the half-digested food is, as usual, 

 discharged from the mouth. 



The Vestlet feeds freely in captivity, greedily accepting 

 fragments of raw flesh, and also skilfully catering for itself. 

 One evening I amused myself with observing it capture 

 its prey. It was one of those mentioned above, set in an 

 upright test-tube, in an old-established tank, close to the 

 side. The water contained a large number of minute 

 Entomostraca, which, when the candle was placed near the 

 tank, flocked from all parts to the light. I thus was able 

 to direct the migrant crowd to any point that I pleased ; 

 and so brought them, when pretty well assembled, to the 

 quarter which the expanded tentacles of the Cerianthus 

 occupied. One and another were continually coming into 

 contact with the tentacles ; and it was highly interesting to 

 mark the unerring certainty with which each was arrested 

 the instant it touched a tentacle. No matter whether the 

 foot, middle, or tip of the organ were touched, the little 

 intruder inevitably adhered as if birdlimed, and apparently 

 without a struggle ; when immediately, with the most 

 beautiful ease and precision, the fortunate tentacle jerked 

 inward, — all the rest remaining as they were, — and, deliver- 

 ing the prey to the grasp of the gular tentacles, in a moment 

 resumed its expectant position. So numerous was the 

 giddy throng, that this manoeuvre was every moment in 

 practice, with some or other of the tentacles ; so that 

 scores, certainly, of the Water-fleas were captured while 

 I was observing. 



