PHYSOPHORIDAE. 291 



this there are successively a group of four palpons, with their filaments, a siphon 

 with its tentacle, two palpons, and finally a second siphon. The length of stem 

 occupied by these much crowded appendages is only about 3 mm. At this 

 early stage the palpons and siphons still lie in a nearly straight line. Spiral 

 coiling, if it takes place, is associated with an increase in the number of append- 

 ages, without a corresponding increase in the length of the stem. The two large 

 bracts are lanceolate, distally tridentate; convex on the dorsal and deeply con- 

 cave on the ventral face, just as Haeckel has represented them, and each has a 

 bracteal canal running to its tip. They are attached by the usual muscular 

 lamellae, on opposite or nearly opposite sides of the stem, the shorter one at the 

 level of the "blastocrene," the longer one opposite the upper group of palpons. 

 In the present condition of the specimen, these two large bracts lie in the plane 

 opposite the nectophores, the small ones in the same plane as the latter, and 

 the same condition was observed by Haeckel. But the "Albatross" specimen 

 is so much twisted that it is impossible to state whether this is the normal 

 orientation. 



There are no gonodendra, nor is there any sign that the sexual organs had 

 been present, but were detached; unfortunately, however, the lower end of 

 the stem is so battered that it is impossible to make certain as to these organs. 

 Only the youngest tentilla are intact. Adult ones are figured by Haeckel ('88b, 

 pi. 13, fig. 14), and are of a characteristic Agalmid structure, with a single 

 terminal filament. 



When captured, the siphons were brilliant carmine; otherwise the speci- 

 men was colorless. 



The type specimen of Nectalia loligo was taken at the Canary Islands, evi- 

 dently on or near the surface. The only subsequent records which I have been 

 able to find are two specimens from the "Plankton" Expedition, one taken in a 

 closing net between 800 and 600 meters, 3° 6' N., 33° 2' W.; the other in an 

 open haul from 400 meters near the northern border of the Gulf Stream, south 

 of Iceland; and a third collected by Chun ('97b, p. 37) on the surface near 

 Orotava. The present record extends the range of this species to the Tropical 

 Pacific. 



Physophoridae Eschscholtz, 1829. {^ensu Huxley). 

 Discolabidae Haeckel. 



The question whether all known members of this family belong to one 

 genus, Physophora, or whether there are two genera, Physophora with two. 



