REPORT ON THE PENNATULIDA. 260 



in the lowermost leaves. Radial canals well developed along the whole 

 length of the rachis." 



The species is a common but very variable one, different specimens 

 differing greatly from one another in the pitch of the leaves — i.e., their 

 distance apart — in the shape of the leaves, and in their breadth of 

 attachment to the rachis. In these points the seven Obau specimens 

 present a good deal of variety among themselves. 



7.— Habits.— 



1. The Natural Position of Virgularia. We have already, when 

 speaking of Funiculina and Pennatula, referred in anticipation to 

 Virgularia as affording positive proof of the erect position being the 

 natural one. It is apparently a very simple point to determine ; and 

 yet, so far as we can find out, only two, or at most three, observers 

 have recorded from actual observation the fact that Virgularia does 

 live planted erect in the sea bottom. 



Humph* in his work, to which we have already alluded, describes 

 both T'. liumphii and T'. jnncea as living erect with the stalk planted 

 in the mud and the rachis projecting up into the water. He speaks of 

 having pulled out hundreds, so that there can be no possibility of 

 mistake. 



Darwin, in his "Naturalist's Voyage Round the World," also gives 

 us direct evidence on the point from observations made at Bahia 

 Blanca, on the soyth-east coast of South America, in lat. 39° S. He 

 says :t — " 1 will only mention one other animal, a zoophyte (I believe 

 Viijiularia Patagonica ^ ;, a kind of sea-pen. It consists of a thin, straight, 

 fleshy stem with alternate rows of polypi on each side, and surround- 

 ing an elastic stony axis, varying in length, from eight inches to two 

 feet. The stem at one extremity is truncate, but the other is termi- 

 nated by a vermiform fleshy appendage. The stony axis which gives 

 strength to the stem may be traced at this extremity into a mere 

 vessel filled with granular matter. At low water hundreds of these 

 zoophytes might be seen projecting like stubble, with the truncate end 

 upwards, a few inches above the surface of the muddy sand. When 

 touched or pulled they suddenly drew themselves in with force, so as 

 nearly or quite to disappear. By this action the highly elastic axis 

 must be bent at the lower extremity, where it is naturally slightly 

 curved ; and I imagine it is by this elasticity alone that the zoophyte 

 is enabled to rise again through the mud." 



A little further on he says : — " It is always interesting to discover 

 the foundation of the strange tales of the old voyagers, and I have no 

 doubt but that the habits of the Virgularia explain one such case. 

 Captain Lancaster, in his voyage in IGOl, narrates that on the sea sands 

 of the island of Sombrero in the East Indies he found a small twig 



* Rumph. " T'Amboiu 'sche llariteitkamer," p. G4, 1741. 

 + Darwin : " Naturalist's VoyaRo round the World," p. 99, 1845. 

 ; Since renamed l)y Kiillikcr Stijlatula Vartcinii. Vide "Kiilliker: Alcyo- 

 narien, p. 2-27. 



