150 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
and the latter naturalist has published some beautiful illustrations 
of it. The air-bells are arranged in the form of an elongated egg. 
On the summit of this is a little air-cell, attached to it by a short 
collar. The air bells are crystalline fabrics, and are arranged in 
vertical series of twelves; they are all by their points attached 
to a common axis, in a spiral form; the long capillary filaments 
hanging from them are wavy, transparent, and scarcely visible 
to the naked eye; these support little oblong bodies, like ear- 
rings. The individual members of the colony are very small and, 
at first sight, are remarkable for the purple tint’ of their digestive 
cavity. They are fixed toa common trunk. The arrangement at 
a distance seems symmetrical, and is generally a quincunx. The 
anterior part of the animalcule is armed with stinging capsules. In 
its central zone are twelve cushions (biliary cellules) which we are 
tempted to take for eggs. From the bottom of the trunk the 
fishing threads are suspended. They are extremely thin, and are 
furnished with a great many stinging tendrils, which are attached 
to a second thread which branches from the first. These stinging 
organs are of two kinds; some are like little swords, placed vertically 
one against the other, and some are like berries, set on the borders 
of the red cord. The tendrils terminate in a colourless thread, 
twisted in a spiral, which covers the bag containing the poison. 
The reproductive individuals are placed between the nurses. They 
may be compared to elongated and expansible bags. They have 
no mouth, and are always disposed in pairs upon a bi-truncated 
pedicle, at the base of which may often be seen a shrunken fishing- 
thread, short, and bristling all over with stinging capsules. What 
complication, what variety, what wonderful arrangement to supply 
these minute creatures with a power to attack and defend! And 
yet these elegant apolemiz have scarcely more consistence than a 
mass of soap bubbles ! 
