418 THE SABELLA. 



head, but the anterior extremity was furnished with 

 two ample fans of many plumes, each fan having 

 one side curled spirally inward, and the pair forming 

 an exquisite funnel-shaped appendage, inclosing two 

 beautiful volutes of the same. The expansion of this 

 elegant organ was fully an inch and a half, and the 

 length of the plumes but little less. The latter were 

 bearded with short vanes of extreme tenuity, and 

 reminded me of those feathers of the bird of Paradise, 

 that are worn in ladies' head dress. Their colour was 

 white and maronne-brown, in broad alternate bands. 



This feeble description can afford scarcely any idea 

 of the elegance of this plumous crown, which seemed 

 as if it would have well become the head of some 

 noble cacique, or the lord of one of those isles in the 

 distant east which are the depositories of earth's most 

 precious things. Well, I put my captive into my jar, 

 and was gratified to see the crown expanded, and grace- 

 fully waving ; notwithstanding that in dislodging the 

 animal I had unfortunately torn off the hinder ex- 

 tremity of the body. This, however, I hoped, might be 

 healed, and reproduced. 



But a disappointment was in store. Presently 

 afterward, I came across a pool in which several 

 specimens of Afithea cereus were stretching their 

 snaky tentacles like so many Medusas' heads. Wish- 

 ing to show the species to a friend, I selected one, and 

 unthinkingly dropped it into the jar which held my 

 Sahella. The long tenacious tentacles could hard- 

 ly fail to come into contact with its beautiful plumes, 

 and I soon saw with vexation that such was the case ; 

 and that several of these organs were entangled around 



