46 EDWARD T. BROWNE. 



length of the whole iinilircUn is not less than 200 mm. The petlalia have lost their 

 external form ami have become flattened. The tentacular petlalia are a little over 

 40 mm. in length and 25 to 30 mm. in widtli. The rhopaliar pedalia are at least 

 GO mm. in length and 20 t«j 25 mm. in width. Nearly all the tentacles are present, 

 and one measures 300 mm. in length. The tentacular lobes arc a little over 55 mm. 

 in length and 30 mm. in width. The gonads are large, about 80 mm. in length and 

 20 mm. in width, and show ova in difl'erent stages of development. 



The other two .specimens in the ' Southern Cross ' collection are densely .stained 

 with iron rust, broken and much Hatteued out. They are of about the same size as 

 specimen C, and have well-developed ovaries. 



' Discovery ' Collection. 



The ' Di.scovery ' specimen was preserved in chromic-formol solution, and is of a 

 greenish colour, which is due to the chromic acid. It is very much broken and 

 damaged. 



From the appearance of the above specimen.s it .seems to me that a large 

 Pei'iphylla requires not only careful preservation, but very careful packing. A 

 specimen should be well soaked in several changes of formalin or alcohol, and then 

 placed in a jar or can larger than the specimen, but not along with stai-fish, glass 

 tubes, or the like. 



The sketch of Periphylla made l)y Dr. Wilson, who is an accurate and skilled 

 artist, is of considerable value. It is a life-size .sketch of a living specimen. As such 

 accurate .sketches are very rare, I have given a photographic reproduction of it (Plate 

 YII., fig. l), and only regret that it was necessary to reduce the size. 



The sketch shows that the specimen was nearly 200 mm. in height and alxtut 

 300 mm. wide across the lobes. The central disc measures in height from the coronal 

 furrow to the top of the umbrella about 100 mm., and its width is about IGO mm. The 

 tentacular pedalia are about 40 nmi. in length and 30 mm. in widtli, and the rhopaliar 

 pedalia about 50 mm. in length and 20 mm. in width. (These measurements agree 

 with tho.se made upon the specimen, except tliat the rhopaliar pedalia are a little 

 longer, nearly GO mm.) Mr. Hodgson informs me that the ^ledusa when alive was of 

 a reddish (?) brown colour, ])y no means intense, except round tlic lower portion of the 

 umbrella, where the colour was very dark. 



I have in my collection a well-preserved specimen of Periphylla hyacinthina from 

 the North Atlantic In this specimen two of the rhopaliar pedalia show a transver.se 

 gi'oove, and the other rhopaliar pedalia do not. The groove is in al)0ut the .same 

 position as that figured by Prof Haeckcl for /'. minil/llis. The absence of a groove on 

 two of the rhopaliar pedalia points strongly to the groove being a crca.se formed by 

 the bending back of the margin of the umbrella either whilst the JMedusa was in the 

 net, or on deck, or in the handling of the specimen. 



