THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. 13 



the water with the easy grace and rnpidity for which its 

 allies are remarkable, but struggles forward with frantic 

 energy, contracting and expanding rapidly, and without 

 ceasing, reminding us of an escaped felon impeded in his 

 course by the dragging of his heavy fetters." 



An asymmetrical genus of hydroid medusae called Hy- 

 bocodon, figured and described by Agassiz, is found on 

 the Atlantic coast. The Steenstrupia from California, while 

 in general character it closely resembles the genus Hybo- 

 codon, is much larger and has a somewhat differently 

 formed bell. 



The Californian Steenstrupia differs also in a marked 

 manner from either S. rubra or S. fiaveola Forbes, from 

 the British seas. The former bears on the apex of the bell 

 a " little tentacle-like, fieshj'-red appendage," while the 

 bell of the latter is more conical. Neither of these species 

 is represented by Forbes with young buds on the tentac- 

 ular bases and there seems some evidence to believe that 

 both of Forbes's species are immature. 



I was unable to find the hydroid Corymorpha, nor have 

 I taken this hydroid in California, but it is probable that it 

 Avill be found in abundance as the medusa is common. 



"VVlLLIA OCCIDENTALIS Sp. UOV. 



rPLATE V, FIG. 3.) 



There are two species of Willia on the Atlantic coast, 

 both of which are southern in their habitat, although one, 

 W. ornata, has been found by me once at Newport. Ou 

 the Pacific coast, no Willia has ever been described, al- 

 though a similar and larger genus, Proboscidactyla, is 

 recorded from certain places. 



I found at the island of Santa Cruz a medusa which was 

 at first mistaken for a young Proboscidactyla, but which 

 turns out on closer study to have marked differences from 

 this genus. 



