ZOOLOGY,, — MEDUSA. 549 



Medusa ? (PI. XVI. Fig. 6. natural 



size.) Formovoidal. Eight segments. A double 

 cavity united by a small canal. Sensitive. Irides- 

 cent fringes. Found in latitude 75o 40' N., longi- 

 tude S** or 6' west. Colour similar to the former. 



Medusa pileus. (PI. XVI. Fig. 4. natural 

 size.) This is one of the most curious of the me- 

 dusae. It consists of eight lobes, with a beauti- 

 fully iridescent finny fringe on the external edge of 

 each. A canal, four-fifths the length of the ani- 

 mal, penetrates the centre of it ; and two red cirrhi, 

 which may be extended to the length of nearly a 

 foot, proceed from a crooked cavity in opposite sides. 

 The animal ^s semi-transparent. Its colour is white, 

 with a blush of red ; the finny fringes of deeper red. 

 It is found of various sizes ; one specimen taken 

 up in latitude 75° 40', longitude 5' or 6° W., in a 

 green-coloured sea, was three inches in length. 



Medusa ? or Purse-shaped Medusa. 



(PI. XVI. Fig. 7. nat. size). The substance of this 

 is tougher than that of any other species which I 

 have examined. It has one large open cavity, and 

 is divided by the finny fringes into eight segments, 

 each alternate pair of which are similar. The co- 

 lour is a very pale crimson, with waved purple 

 lines ; finny fringes deeper crimson. This animal 

 appeared to be almost without sensation. The only 

 evidence it gave of feeling was in an increased vi- 

 bration of the finny fringes. Though it was cut 



