BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. Gl 



curious organ about as thick as three or four tentacles, 

 which is long and club-shaped^ and crowned with 

 cnidae towards the extremity. Dr. Weismau was the 

 first to observe this organ (A. and M. of Nat. Hist., 

 ser. 5, vol. ix. p. 201). I have myself found it upon 

 the polypites of this species. Its purpose is very 

 doubtful, as it is only found upon a few of the poly- 

 pites in a colony. It is evidently, howe/er, a defensive 

 weapon of considerable power. 



This species was described by Ellis * under the name 

 of the " small ramified tubular coralline. ^^ He found 

 it upon the Kentish coast. It was one of the species 

 which demonstrated to him the animal nature of the 

 zoophytes. He states that " here the curious natu- 

 ralist may plainly discover a polyp branching out like 

 the common fresh- water one of Mr. Trembley's, but 

 strongly fortified by nature to support itself in its 

 turbulent situation ; for he will observe this is defended 

 by a tough horny covering, and fixed by its base to 

 solid bodies in the sea, to secure itself from the infi- 

 nite number of enemies that every moment surround 

 it.'^ 



8. E. ANNULATUM, Norman. 



Height 4 in. Stem much branched, horn colour. 

 Polypites with 16 — 20 tentacles. 



This species was discovered by the Rev. A. M. 

 Norman in " Buness Hall,^' a cave in Shetland. It is 

 described by Mr. Norman in am article on '' Unde- 

 scribed British Hydrozoa^ he," in the An. of Nat. 

 Hist, for January, 1864, p. 83. 



4. E. AEBUSCULA, T. 8. W. 



Height 2 in. Stem dark horn colour, much branched. 

 * Ellis, '* Corallines," 31. 



