212 THE TRUMPET LUCERNAEIA. 



some were as miicli as one-third of an inch in diameter. 

 They were very beautiful, closely resembling a bell, or 

 trumpet-mouthed monopetalous flower, with a short 

 flexible footstalk, and a small, expanded, sucking-disk 

 at the base. The substance was clear, transparent, 

 gelatinous ; the flower-like expansion thin and filmy, 

 with the margin projecting into eight equi-distant 

 points. From each of these points radiated about 

 twenty slender tentacular threads, bearing at their 

 extremities orange or yellow globules. The ovaries 

 radiated in eight irregular bands from the centre of 

 the flower to the marginal points, and from the centre 

 itself projected a little, protrusile, four-cleft mouth ; 

 closely like the peduncle of a Thaumantias. Indeed 

 I was strongly struck with the resemblance which 

 the creature bore to a small Medusa, and I consider 

 it as a link that connects the normal Actiniae with 

 the Acalephag. 



In some specimens there were eight little oval 

 warts, which hung from the outside of the margin, 

 placed midway between the angles or points. Mon- 

 tagu has made these warts the distinctive character 

 of this species; but I think they are not to be 

 depended on ; for many of my specimens, not at all to 

 be distinguished from these in form, colom*, or habit, 

 were destitute of the least trace of the warts. It is 

 possible that it may be a distinction of sex. 



The specimens were very difficult to preserve alive. 

 The beautiful groups of globe-headed threads soon 

 contracted and agglutinated into shapeless masses, the 

 hold of the foot loosened, and the animal dropped 

 helpless to the bottom, and decayed. Indeed, I found 



