﻿Siphonophora 
  of 
  the 
  Canary 
  Islands. 
  237 
  

  

  stem. 
  Lateral 
  subumbrellar 
  vessels 
  running 
  in 
  arabesque- 
  

   like 
  convolutions. 
  

  

  Gastric 
  polyps 
  transparent, 
  with 
  long 
  peduncles 
  and 
  a 
  long 
  

   proventriculus. 
  At 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  peduncle 
  and 
  proventri- 
  

   culus 
  originates 
  the 
  principal 
  tentacle, 
  with 
  spirally 
  coiled, 
  

   transparent, 
  large 
  bluish 
  cnidaria. 
  The 
  older 
  ones 
  are 
  faintly 
  

   coloured 
  red 
  ; 
  all 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  long 
  tactile 
  filaments. 
  

   At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  cnidaria 
  a 
  black 
  pigment 
  spot. 
  

  

  Special 
  nectocalyces 
  originate 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  stomachal 
  

   peduncle 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  stem 
  and 
  remove 
  subsequently 
  proxi- 
  

   mally 
  from 
  the 
  latter. 
  Their 
  axial 
  vessel 
  gives 
  off 
  a 
  dorsal 
  

   and 
  a 
  central 
  branch 
  ; 
  the 
  lateral 
  subumbrellar 
  vessels 
  have 
  

   a 
  twisted 
  course. 
  At 
  the 
  ventral 
  surface 
  the 
  gelatinous 
  mass 
  

   is 
  widely 
  produced 
  in 
  a 
  wing-like 
  form. 
  

  

  The 
  sexual 
  buds 
  are 
  seated 
  in 
  bunches 
  (six 
  or 
  seven 
  in 
  

   number) 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  stomachal 
  peduncle. 
  Male 
  and 
  

   female 
  groups 
  alternate 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  stem 
  ; 
  frequently 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  male 
  or 
  female 
  groups 
  follow 
  upon 
  one 
  another. 
  Older 
  

   male 
  buds 
  are 
  pedunculate, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  umbrella 
  and 
  an 
  

   extraordinarily 
  long 
  reddish 
  flesh-coloured 
  manubrium 
  ; 
  

   younger 
  ones 
  have 
  the 
  umbrella 
  crinkled 
  at 
  the 
  margin. 
  

   Female 
  buds 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  nectocalyx 
  and 
  globular 
  manu- 
  

   brium, 
  which 
  harbours 
  only 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  extraordinarily 
  large 
  

   and 
  transparent 
  ova. 
  

  

  Bracts 
  resembling 
  a 
  sailor's 
  hat 
  ( 
  u 
  sou'-wester 
  "), 
  with 
  

   six 
  fluid-canals 
  swelled 
  into 
  knobs, 
  lying 
  over 
  one 
  another 
  

   like 
  roof- 
  tiles. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  internodes 
  are 
  seated 
  the 
  heteromorphous 
  tentacles 
  

   hitherto 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  Stephanophyes 
  among 
  the 
  whole 
  group 
  

   of 
  the 
  Calycophoridce. 
  In 
  the 
  younger 
  groups 
  one 
  tentacle, 
  

   in 
  older 
  ones 
  three 
  or 
  four, 
  occur 
  in 
  each 
  internode. 
  In 
  the 
  

   latter 
  case 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  tentacles 
  are 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  common 
  

   peduncle. 
  Each 
  tentacle 
  shows 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  a 
  small, 
  oval, 
  

   mouthless 
  feeler 
  (as 
  in 
  the 
  Physophorida?), 
  and 
  is 
  beset 
  with 
  

   numerous 
  small, 
  very 
  short-stalked, 
  acorn-shaped 
  cnidaria 
  

   without 
  tactile 
  filaments. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  Siphonophora 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  acquainted 
  Stepha- 
  

   nophyes 
  sujjerba 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  delicate 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  inagniticent. 
  With 
  perfect 
  transparency 
  it 
  

   attains 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  1^ 
  foot. 
  The 
  graceful 
  play 
  of 
  its 
  hetero- 
  

   morphous 
  tentacles, 
  the 
  energetic 
  pumping 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   large 
  calyces 
  and 
  the 
  numerous 
  special 
  nectocalyces, 
  the 
  

   bright 
  red 
  colouring 
  of 
  the 
  knobbed 
  fluid-vessels 
  with 
  their 
  

   shining 
  oil-drops, 
  the 
  delicate 
  rosy 
  or 
  emerald-green 
  shimmer 
  

   of 
  the 
  gastric 
  polyps, 
  the 
  perfect 
  transparency 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   globular 
  ova, 
  and 
  the 
  delicate 
  flesh-tint 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  manubria, 
  

  

  Ann. 
  cL- 
  Mag. 
  N. 
  Hist. 
  Ser. 
  6. 
  Vol. 
  iii. 
  17 
  

  

  