238 DEOSEEA EOTUNDIFOLIA. Chap. X. 



was placed in a medial line at the basal end of the disc, near 

 the footstalk; after 2 hrs. 30 m. some neighbouring tentacles 

 were inflected ; after 6 hrs. the tentacles on both sides of the 

 footstalk, and some way up both sides, were moderately in- 

 flected; after 8 hrs. the tentacles at the further or distal end 

 were more inflected than those on either side; after 23 hrs. 

 the meat was well clasped by all the tentacles, excepting by the 

 exterior ones on the two sides. 



(■4) Another bit of meat was placed at the opposite or distal 

 end of another leaf, with exactly the same relative results. 



(5) A minute bit of meat was placed on one side of the disc ; 

 next day the neighbouring short tentacles were inflected, as 

 well as in a slight degree thi-ee or four on the opposite side 

 near the footstalk. On the second day these latter tentacles 

 showed signs of re-expanding, so I added a fresh bit of meat 

 at nearly the same spot, and after two days some of the short 

 tentacles on the opposite side of the disc were inflected. As 

 soon as these began to re-expand, I added another bit of meat-, 

 and next day all the tentacles on the opposite side of the disc 

 were inflected towards the meat; whereas we have seen that 

 those on the same side were affected by the first bit of meat, 

 which was given. 



Now for the general results. Of the eigliteen leaves 

 on which bits of meat were placed on the right 

 or left sides of the disc, eight had a vast number of 

 tentacles inflected on the same side, and in four of 

 them the blade itseK on this side was likewise in- 

 flected ; whereas not a single tentacle nor the blade 

 was affected on the opposite side. These leaves pre- 

 sented a very curious appearance, as if only the in- 

 flected side was active, and the other paralysed. In the 

 remaining ten cases, a few tentacles became inflected 

 beyond the medial line, on the side opposite to that 

 where the meat lay ; but, in some of these cases, only 

 at the proximal or distal ends of the leaves. The 

 inflection on the opposite side always occurred con- 

 siderably after that on the same side, and in one in- 

 stance not until the fourth day. We have also seen 



