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C OM ATULA 



to be discovered ; but it is strongly to be suspected that the animal 

 is gifted with the power of placing them in appropriate situations, 

 otherwise we should find them indiscriminately on fuci, shells, stones, 

 etc., which does not appear to be the case. However this may be, if 

 we are allowed to assume that the Pentacrinus europcms is the young 

 of Comatula, we first perceive the dispersed and attached ova in the 

 form of a flattened oval disk, by which it is permanently fixed to the 

 spot selected, giving exit to an obscurely-jointed stem, ending in a 

 club-shaped, head, as in fig. 25, e, in which individual the animal is 

 sufficiently advanced to shew the incipient formation of the arms and 

 the mouth with its tentacula, by means of which it obtains the food 



Fig. 22. 



Fig. 21. 



Fig. 20. 



Fig. 23. 



Figures 20 and 21. An individual of the natural size, and magnified, still more deve- 

 loped than 25, e, beginning to form pinnae towards the ends of the arms, as at a, b ; 

 in this the cirri or claspers at the back of the animal are very distinctly seen. 



Figures 22 and 23. A very young Comatula of the natural size, and magnified ; 

 Xffi, the vent, in front is the star-like mouth ; b, b, two of the dorsal cirri. 



necessary to its successive growth. At d of the same figure is another, 

 somewhat more advanced, in which all the ossicula of the arms are 

 obvious, as far as the bifurcation. At the letters a, b, and c, are repre- 

 sented what I considered formerly as completely formed Pentacrini, 

 (a) from the position shewing the valvular mouth, and (x) the anal 

 aperture : {b) shews most clearly the cirri or claspers at the top of the 

 stem, and (c) that the living principle extend throughout the entire 

 fabric demonstrated by the varied movements of the pedicle. At a 

 later period I observed individuals shewing a still higher degree of 



