﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  9 
  

  

  Or 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  nutrition 
  which 
  is 
  secured 
  or 
  received 
  by 
  an 
  individual 
  

   polyp, 
  is 
  diffused 
  through 
  and 
  nourishes 
  the 
  whole. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  with 
  the 
  specimens 
  before 
  us, 
  I 
  think 
  

   the 
  analogies 
  strongly 
  favor 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  I 
  have 
  

   indicated, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  or 
  sponges, 
  to 
  either 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  cannot 
  perceive 
  

   they 
  hold 
  the 
  slightest 
  relationship. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Greenland, 
  Lamarck 
  has 
  described 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Umbellul- 
  

   aria 
  (U. 
  Grcenlandica,) 
  and 
  we 
  might 
  perhaps, 
  with 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  reason, 
  look 
  

   for 
  a 
  related 
  form 
  upon 
  the 
  Pacific 
  side, 
  in 
  some 
  northern 
  station 
  where 
  the 
  

   physical 
  conditions 
  measurably 
  correspond 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  

   Atlantic 
  species 
  cited. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  readily 
  perceived, 
  that 
  before 
  an 
  accurate 
  determination 
  can 
  be 
  

   arrived 
  at, 
  the 
  living 
  forms, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  believe 
  these 
  " 
  switches" 
  are 
  the 
  central 
  

   stalks 
  or 
  axes, 
  must 
  be 
  studied 
  in 
  situ, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  fleshy 
  

   portion 
  can 
  be 
  preserved. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  subsequent 
  to 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Blake's 
  remarks 
  

   to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  alluded, 
  reference 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  a 
  communication 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Sclater. 
  

   in 
  the 
  scientific 
  weekly 
  publication, 
  "Nature," 
  bearing 
  upon 
  this 
  subject. 
  

  

  After 
  writing 
  down 
  the 
  conclusions 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  just 
  read, 
  through 
  the 
  

   courtesy 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Hewston, 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  examine 
  a 
  tile 
  of 
  that 
  publication, 
  

   and 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Sclater 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  before 
  the 
  British 
  Association, 
  at 
  the 
  

   Brighton 
  meeting, 
  August 
  20th, 
  1872 
  * 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  acknowledges 
  the 
  receipt 
  

   of 
  several 
  specimens 
  of 
  these 
  " 
  switches," 
  from 
  Captain 
  Herd, 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson's 
  

   Bay 
  Company, 
  with 
  a 
  statement 
  from 
  the 
  Captain 
  that, 
  " 
  These 
  rods 
  are 
  the 
  

   backbones 
  of 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  fish 
  found 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  at 
  Burraud's' 
  Inlet, 
  Wash- 
  

   ington 
  Territory, 
  North-west 
  America, 
  whence 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  by 
  two 
  

   Captains 
  in 
  our 
  service. 
  These 
  animals 
  are 
  shaped 
  like 
  a 
  Conger 
  eel, 
  but 
  are 
  

   quite 
  transparent, 
  their 
  bodies 
  being 
  composted 
  of 
  amass 
  of 
  jelly 
  — 
  they 
  are 
  

   about 
  8 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  like 
  a 
  shark's 
  head 
  : 
  it 
  is 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  thick 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  rod 
  — 
  it 
  has 
  two 
  eyes 
  and 
  a 
  mouth 
  placed 
  low 
  down. 
  The 
  

   backbone 
  is 
  also 
  transparent 
  in 
  the 
  living 
  animal, 
  but 
  becomes 
  hard 
  when 
  dried 
  

   on 
  the 
  beach 
  by 
  the 
  sun. 
  These 
  fishes 
  swim 
  about 
  in 
  shoals, 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  

   dog-fishes." 
  Other 
  information 
  was 
  received 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Sclater, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  tenor. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  switches 
  was 
  sent 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Sclater 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Kolliker, 
  of 
  

   Wurzburg, 
  who 
  had 
  shortly 
  before 
  beeu 
  engageil 
  in 
  monographing 
  the 
  Penna- 
  

   tulidifi 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  gentleman, 
  in 
  reply, 
  stated 
  his 
  belief, 
  " 
  That 
  the 
  object 
  

   you 
  sent 
  me 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  is 
  indeed 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  an 
  unknown 
  Pennatulidae, 
  etc." 
  

  

  " 
  Prof. 
  Flower, 
  Prof. 
  Milne-Edwards 
  of 
  Paris, 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  Naturalists, 
  

   who 
  visited 
  the 
  rooms 
  of 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Society 
  * 
  * 
  all 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  objects 
  

   were 
  new 
  to 
  them, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  what 
  they 
  were, 
  but 
  were 
  mostly 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  regard 
  them 
  as 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  an 
  unknown 
  Pennatulide 
  animal. 
  "f 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  allusion 
  (in 
  the 
  foot-note) 
  in 
  " 
  Nature 
  " 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gray, 
  and 
  his 
  refer- 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  "Nature," 
  Vol. 
  VI, 
  page 
  436. 
  t 
  See 
  " 
  Nature"; 
  also 
  foot-note. 
  

  

  