rgoy.] Records of f he India)! Museum. 57 



which these organs appear to exhibit specific interest so far as M. 

 schillerianum is concerned, are the extent and number of the folds 

 into which the^' are thrown both horizontally and vertically, and 

 the great length of the acontia. I can detect no diiTerence, except 

 those alread}' noted, as regards the structure of the mesenteries in 

 the two forms of the species. 



Gonads. — 



The nature of the gonads in this species is interesting. In most 



Photo by L, L, Fermor.] 



Fig. 4. — Part of the mesentery of M. schillerianum var. exul, from a preparation 

 in Canada balsam, highly magnified. w = mesenterial filament; ;' = unripe testis; = 

 ovary; « = membranous part of the mesentery; rt = retractor muscle. 



of the Actinians one or other of two conditions is found — either 

 the male and female organs are borne by different individuals, or the 

 two are borne in the same part of the same mesentery of one in- 

 dividual, one sex generally taking precedence in time of the other. 

 In M. schillerianum^ however, neither of these conditions prevails. 

 In specimens of the variety examined at the beginning of December, 

 only ovaries (which were present in all individuals measuring more 

 than about 15 mm. in length) could be found ; they occupied the 

 distal part of the mesentery, extending from the lower extremity of 

 the stomodaeum vertically downwards as far as the point at which 

 the structure of the mesenterial filament first underwent a change. 

 Their position on the complete mesenteries corresponded exactly, 

 therefore, with that of the part of the filament which was trilo- 

 bate in transverse section, and their lower extremity was .situated 

 exactly opposite the point at which the ciliated tracts of the 

 filament disappeared. The lower part of the coiled portion of 



