3.22 MOLLUSK TADPOLE. 



white foam from the dark purple rock, and the rush- 

 ing sound of the explosion, all add to the effect. 



The ragged rock-pools that lie in the deep shadow 

 of the precipice on this area are tenanted with many 

 fine kinds of algae, zoophytes, Crustacea and medusm. 

 In one of these I took with a ring-net about the end 

 of August, when fishing for medusae, what seems from 

 its resemblance to published figures to be the tadpole 

 of Amaroucium proliferum, one of the aggregated 

 Tunicaia. Its resemblance to the tadpole of a frog 

 is curiously close, though its total length, including 

 the tail, is not more than -j^^th of an inch. It consists 

 of an oblong o\^al body of a pellucid yellow tinge, 

 with a central nucleus of rich vermillion, deepest in 

 the centre, which sends off some indistinct branching 

 vessels towards the front part, and is continued pos- 

 teriorly all through the tail, nearly to its extremity. 



The activity of this tiny creature is remarkable ; 

 its motions are like those of a fish, executed by the 

 vibration of the long flat tail from side to side. By 

 this means it scuttles along through the water with 

 great rapidity, in a tremulous manner. Its beautiful 

 colour makes it conspicuous in a glass of clear water,* 

 notwithstanding its minuteness ; it looks like a bril- 

 liant little ruby. Yet it is as evanescent as beautiful ; 

 a very brief confinement puts a period to its existence. 



BARRICANE. 



A few weeks after my former disappointment, I 

 again set out for Barricane. It is one of the places 

 in this neighbourhood invariably mentioned as nota- 



