.51 



April 23, 1833. 

 The Dean of Carlisle in the Chair. 



The follovving letter, addressed to the Secretary by Mr. J. C. 

 Lees, vvas read. It vvas accompanied by a dravving of the animal 

 referred to in it, vvhich was exhibited : it represented a specles of 

 Glaucus, Forst. 



" Being at sea about two years ago, betvveen the Azores and the 

 Bahama Islands, in about lat. 30° N. long. 50° W„ I observed the 

 surface of the sea thickly covered in every direction, as far as I 

 could see, with small animals. Having drawn up some of them in 

 a bucket, I found them to have bodies and tails nearly resembling 

 those of a Lizard, but the head was thick and blunt without any 

 appeaiance of neck. I could not discover either eyes or mouth. 

 Four short arms, or limbs, were attached to the body, nearly in the 

 šame situation as the legs of a Lizard, and from the outer end of 

 each of them proceeded, in a radiating direction, fifteen slender 

 feelers, diminishing to a fine point, the centre ones longer than the 

 others. These animals vvere of a deep, but vivid blue colour, with 

 a bright, vvell-defined line of silver down the back, frora the head 

 to the extremity of the tail ; this streak of silver branched oflF also 

 into the arms, and along each of the feelers, till towards the points 

 it formed so thin a line as to become gradually imperceptible. The 

 under part of the animals was of a silvery white ; their appearance 

 was very beautiful ; they were about 1-į- inch long from the front 

 of the head to the end of the tail, and about the šame across from 

 the extremities of the longest of the opposite feelers. The water 

 continued covered with them for two days, during vvhich time we 

 sailed over about 100 miles ; the number of them mušt thcreforę 

 have been prodigious, 



" They remained perfectly quiet in the vvater except vvhen 

 touched, when they either partially or entirely drew themselves up 

 into a ball : they could in this manner draw up either one or more 

 feelers, or thevvhole limb, with its fifteen. They did not appear to 

 notice the approach of a finger or piece of stiek until it actually 

 touched them, and then did not attempt to swim away, but only 

 dre\v up the part touched with a sudden and apparently angry jerk 

 of the head. If the touch was violent or repeated, they drew them- 

 selves entirely up in a globular form ; and the šame thing occurred 

 vvhen they came in contact vvith each other. I endeavoured to 

 pi-eserve some of them alive by keeping them in sea vvater, but in 

 three or four days they all died, and immcdiatcly shrunk up into a 

 shapeless mass ot" a brovvn colour. I vvas eąually unsuccessful in 

 my endeavour to preserve them in spirits, in strong salt and vvater, 

 or in vinegar -. the instant they vvere introduced into those liąuids 

 they shrivellcd up into a brovvnish shapeless mass, Although I 



