ZOOPHYTES. 19 



crabs, submerged sticks and branches. One of the most 

 curious examples found by the fishermen in the bay consisted 

 of a stout branch of a thorn-tree, about four feet in height, 

 which had large specimens of Balanus Harneri and Ascidians 

 clustered like living fruit on the main trunk and branches, and 

 lobulated and club-shaped masses of Alcyonium covering the 

 more slender twigs and overrunning the neighbouring Cirri- 

 pedes ; while Obelia fringed most of the branches, here and 

 there giving place to the shorter coating of Sertularia, stunted 

 Tubularia, or the downy CJytia. Hosts of other animals 

 occurred on the congenial site — tubes of Thehpus and Serpula, 

 Anomia, Saxicava, XylopTiaga, Lepralia, Cellepora, and Tubu- 

 lipora representing the sedentary forms, sessile-eyed Crusta- 

 ceans and Starfishes the free. Indeed the production formed 

 a compendium of marine zoology that took much time and 

 trouble to investigate. The rapidity of growth of the larger 

 specimens (the Balani being as large as walnuts) was shown 

 by the condition of the wood and bark, and the presence of 

 many delicate twigs. This is also seen in the case of slender 

 branches of the common currant-bushes, which are brought to 

 land in good preservation yet densely fringed with Obelia 

 longissima and studded with large ascidians. The zoophytes 

 themselves are subject to many parasitic inroads from sponges, 

 Foraminifera, other zoophytes, various Polyzoa, Ascidians, 

 Nudibranchs and their ova, young mussels and Anomue, the 

 ova of Pycnogonum, Annelids and their tubes (hyaline, gritty, 

 and calcareous) , and minute Cirripedes. 



In the following list the arrangement and nomenclature of 

 the Rev. T. Hincks in his recent beautiful work on the 

 Hydroida is adopted. 



Order I. Hydroida. 



Suborder I. ATHECATA. 



Fam. 1. Clavidae. 



Genus Clava, Gmelin. 



Clava multicomis, Forskal ; Hincks, Brit. Hydroid 

 Zoophytes, vol. i. p. 2. 



Frequent under stones in pools near low-water mark, and 



D2 



