TUBULARIADiE : TUBULARIA. 51 



Ehrenh. Corall. des roth. Meer. 72. — Windpipe Coralline, Cojicli Zooph. Com. 4 : 

 Corn. Faun. iii. 1 3, pi. 2, fig. 3. 



Hah. — On submerged wood, shells, and corallines, within low-water 

 mark. " In Belfast and Strangford Loughs is chiefly parasitic on 

 Desmarestia aculeata. From about every inch or so of the stem and 

 main branches of the plant, the tubes issue somewhat in a whorled 

 manner to about the distance of one or two inches on every side. 

 In Belfast Bay, Mr. Hyndman dredged a fine specimen, 3i inches 

 in height, and as much in breadth, though springing from a single 

 base : the tubes are simple throughout." W. Thom'pson. 



Polype-tubes clustered, about two inches in height, undivided and 

 filiform, more or less ent\\'ined at the base, of a thin pellucid pale 

 corneous texture, wrinkled and annulated at intervals, whence each 

 tube assumes somewhat the appearance of the windpipe of a small 

 bird. In var. j3. the tubes are distinguished by being slightly 

 branched, the branches coming off irregularly and at various angles. 

 " The polypes are naked, with two circles of tentacula. The head is 

 light red ; the tentacula are white, or white fringed with red. The 

 reproductive gemmules rise from the base of the tentacula." Couch. 



Mr. R. Patterson of Belfast has communicated to me the following 

 novel observation. He had dredged a specimen of T. larynx, and 

 one of the polypidoms was detached. On placing the specimen in a 

 jar of sea-water, " this severed one, by its change of place, caught my 

 eye. It was not merely that it was sinking in the jar, but that it 

 was coiling itself up, uncoiling, stretching, twisting, knotting itself, 

 in a way that resembled the Gordius aquaticus. To this fact, there- 

 fore, I want to call your attention, — that the stem is not only flexi- 

 ble, but, under certain circumstances, is truly and entirely under 

 control of the zoophyte." 



It has been so confused with others that it is unsafe to give every 

 assigned habitat for this species, which, however, appears to be 

 common and generally distributed on the British coast. It was first 

 of all " found about Deal by the Reverend Mr. Hugh Jones and Mr. 

 James Cuninghame," as Petiver tells us. The former w^as " a very 

 curious person in all parts of Natural History, particularly in Fos- 

 sils, some of which he hath sent me from Maryland, with several 

 volumes of Plants very finely preserved ; with divers Insects and 

 Shells. From this obliging gentleman I am promised frequent 

 remittances of whatever those parts afford, as well Animals and 

 Fossils as Vegetables." Petivei: 



Cuninghame was a Surgeon, probably in the East India Com- 



e2 



