240 EFFUSION OF COLOUE. 



keeping the animals I miglit witness tlie development 

 of the eggs and yomig, especially after what Sir John 

 Dalyell and others have observed in the Holothurim. 

 But I found that the self-divided animals very soon 

 became offensive and evidently putrescent, an infal- 

 lible evidence that death had ensued ; and that not 

 only was this the case with the posterior portions 

 separated from the main body, but with the latter 

 also, or that to which the head was attached. It is 

 possible that the whole process was caused by morbid 

 muscular contraction, arising from the stimulus of 

 unnatural circumstances. Mr. Kingsley suggests to 

 me that " the animal breaks itself up from the irrita- 

 tion of light ^^^ a suggestion highly probable ; and 

 that " we must keep it in the shade if we obtain it 

 again." 



One which I put into fresh water, in order to kill 

 it for preservation, immediately began to contract, 

 and continued the process (not rapidly) to rigidity. 

 It then lengthened again, distended the posterior 

 exti-emity, and then divided by constriction near the 

 middle, protruding the intestine, but no ovigerous 

 threads. The body, after lying a while, discharged 

 a stain, which diffused itself to some distance through 

 the water, and precipitated a subtle sediment of a 

 brilliant gamboge hue, which increased to saffron. The 

 whole water in the saucer was, besides, slightly tinged 

 with pink. The specimen, on being immersed in a 

 preservative fluid — a solution of acetate of alumina and 

 sulphate of potash — tinged the lower part of it with a 

 rich transparent crimson, a little inclined to purple, 

 the hue of which was deepest near the bottom. 



