23 
with each other by the tendrils. Before ejection the spirals are 
not straight, but are very tightly twisted and coiled in a small 
compass ; and, far from ‘‘ curling round an object by their inherent 
vitality, after emission, those first protruded gradually relax 
their convolutions; the coils slacken and lengthen out like an 
overstrained spring of a bell-wire; and it is not by any “ inherent 
vitality” in the tendrils, but by inherent instinct in the parent fish, 
that they are purposely, and of forethought, entangled with the coral, 
- fucus, or shell, which the mother selects as a suitable anchorage 
for them. After witnessing the deposition of these eggs, the use 
and meaning of the several portions of the structure of their cases 
are plain and unmistakeable. The case itself is made of material 
sufficiently firm and tough to protect the contained ovum from 
injury, but not so hard as to be liable to fracture. The rounding 
off of the corners of the end first extruded facilitates its passage 
from the body of the fish. The fine flossy ends of the tendrils, 
curled up loosely, like a lady’s ‘ frisette,” are just suited to their 
entanglement with any rough projecting object. The tendrils at 
the square or ‘“ aftermost ” end of the case are longer than those 
first entangled, to enable the fish to wind them round and round, 
and fasten them off; and when this has been effected, and the 
flossy ends have ‘ belayed” themselves, the egg case rides 
securely, moored by skilfully-coiled cables, so elastic that they 
yield gently to the force of the waves, and it is thus protected 
from being violently torn from its hold. And yet some will affirm 
that all this perfect adaptation of means to ends in the construc- 
tion of these eggs, and the marvellous instinct displayed by tke 
parent in her manner of affixing them, have been “‘ developed by 
necessity.” To my mind the egg of a dogfish furnishes evidence 
of design in its construction, and testifies to the existence of a 
supreme intelligence and an omnipotent will. 
The reading of this paper was greeted with loud applause ; and 
the President then made some further observations on the 
« Development of Hydra Tuba.” 
A few days ago, said he, Mr. Lawler, the sub-curator of the 
Brighton Aquarium, wrote to tell me, with his usual attention to 
my wish to be informed of anything of especial interest that may 
occur there, that hundreds of small meduse were swimming about 
in the tanks. On the Saturday before last I had the delight of 
watching them in all their beauty. There they were, in countless 
_ multitudes, jerking themselves rapidly along in their course, with a 
motion just like that of the quick opening and closing of a lady’s 
parasol with a slight fringe round it. The brisk, partial closing of 
the parasol propelled them through the water, ferule foremost ; 
and just at the moment when the impulse ceased to give them any 
further progressive movement, they opened their little umbrella as 
o 2 
