III. HYDRINA. 



Fig. 27. 



X 



/■ / 



§^^^^^^ 



FAMILY— HYDRAID^. 



Genus Hydra, Lin. Syst. 1320. Pall. Blench, 25. Ellis and Soland. Zooph. 8. 

 Lam. Anim. s. Vert. ii. 57. Blainv. Actinolog. 494. Flem. Brit. Anim. 553. — 

 Les Polypes a bras, Cuv. Reg. Anim. iii. 294. — Family Hydrina pars, 

 Ehrenherg Corall. des roth. Meer. 67. — Hydroid^, Johnston in Trans. Berw. 

 Club, p. 107. — HydraiDjE, Gray in Syn. Brit. Mus. 76. 



Ohs. — The true position of this family amongst animals is still 

 undetermined. Van Beneden proposes to arrange it with the 

 Medusae. " Les Hydres sont des Meduses d'eau douce, et non Ser- 

 tulaires. Leur veritable nature nous semble avoir ete mal appreciee 

 jusqu'ici." Mem. sur les Bryozaires, p. 7. 



15. Hydra,* Linnaeus. 

 Character. — Poli/pes locomotive^ single, naJced, gelatinous., 



* "tS^os — properly " a water-serpent," but the name has been appropriated to the 

 monster of Lake Lerna, fabled to have fifty or one hundred heads, of which no sooner 

 was one of them cut off, than two sprouted out in its place. From this property 

 Linnaeus was obviously led to apply the name to the animalcules in question. 

 " To dire Lernsean Hydra what art thou ? 

 Her wounds were fraitful ; from each sever'd head 

 Each of her hundred necks two fiercer bred." 



Sandy^s Ovid. 



