wo 
ca) 
TURRIS DIGITALIS. 
intus hamatis flavis cum albis mixtis. In cavitate infera, que profunda, pistillum apice, ut 
videtur penicillato dependet, in aliis album, in aliis penicillo flavo. Habitat in mari ad oras 
exteriores. Est vivida satis; margine flexo in aqua salit.” 
This account of its characters and habit seems to have furnished all subsequent authors 
with the brief notices which they give of the species, indeed it is doubtful whether it has 
been examined by any since the days of the author of the ‘Fauna Groenlandica.’ Miller probably 
intended to give a representation of it in his invaluable ‘ Fauna Danica,’ but, as it is, we have 
no figure extant. 
When enjoying a delightful cruise with my friend Mr. Smith, of Jordanhill, in his yacht 
the Amethyst, during the summer of 1839, I paid particular attention to the Meduse of the 
Clyde, and laid the foundation of the present monograph. Not so well versed then, as now, 
in the art of securing these fragile and floating creatures, it was a source of not unfrequent 
vexation to behold many of them, either apparently new or doubtful, pass by our vessel beyond 
our reach, or when we endeavoured to secure them, sinking slowly in the sea depths. Among 
those which we failed altogether in catching, was one of considerable size—three inches or so 
in length—and conspicuously distinguished from all others of my acquaintance by its singular 
cylindrical umbrella, and the dense, brilliantly-coloured nucleus. A rude and rapid memo- 
randum of its aspect in the water, as seen over the vessel’s side, was all the record which we 
could bring away. 
In the autumn of 1845, when on a voyage of research with Mr. M‘Andrew, in his yacht 
the Osprey, we procured numerous Medusz in the sound of Brassay, among the Zetland Isles. 
It was with no small pleasure that, on emptying the tow-net one morning in August, I 
found in it what at first glance appeared to be a floating Actinea, but which, on closer 
examination, was evidently identical with the creature I had seen in the Frith of Clyde six 
years before, and which I had often anxiously looked for since, but in vain. A further 
inspection, and a comparison of it with published descriptions, soon convinced me that we 
had secured the finger-shaped Medusa, so pithily described by Otho Fabricius. 
The umbrella is sub-cylindrical and mitrate, swelling gently into a bell-shape in the 
centre, somewhat apiculated at the apex. Its substance is highly transparent and colourless, 
but firm. Its margin is fringed by fifty or more long annulated, and as if granulated, ten- 
tacula, which are white, with orange bases, and when contracted, are curled or rather hooked 
at their extremities. The bases of the marginal tentacles are covered by an external veil-like 
prolongation of the margins. The sub-umbrella occupies slightly more than two thirds of 
the length of the body, and is cylindrical in form. Along its sides are seen to run eight 
conspicuous longitudinal bands of muscular tissue, which have a furbelowed appearance, in 
consequence of habitually contracting at fixed intervals. The substance of these bands is 
composed of distinct fibres. From the centre of the sub-umbrella depends a capacious and 
cylindrical peduncle, the whole of whose interior is occupied by the stomach and ovaries, or 
reproductive glands. The latter bodies consist of four quadrate groups of foliated and convo- 
luted masses, of a bright reddish-brown or brownish-red hue, arranged in the course of four 
simple gastric vessels. Each of these masses consists of a double series of fimbriated organs, each 
series being placed on one side of a vessel. Below the ovaries the peduncle contracts, though 
not greatly, and expands again to form the much divided fimbriated lips, which fringe and border 
the wide oral orifice, and which are parted into four somewhat indistinct lobes. The lips are 
