3452 



CCELENTERA TES 



under edge of the ribbon halfway along it. This girdle-shaped, transparent crea- 

 ture, iridescent in the sunshine, is a dazzling sight. The ribbon is edged with cilia, 

 corresponding with the ciliated combs of the body proper. An additional charm is 

 added to this beautiful form by its lively graceful movements, the ribbon assuming 

 all possible curves. If roughly touched, it rolls up spirally, beginning at one end. 

 When undisturbed, its ribbon-like outgrowths are sometimes stretched out, some- 

 times more or less rolled up, or else the one is rolled up and the other extended. It 



VENUS' GIRDLE (one-half natural size). 



can, like other Ctenophora, keep itself in motion by the mere play of its cilia, but it 

 also 'Uses the undulating movements of its ribbon-like body. The transformation of 

 the larva after leaving the egg is complicated. The young larva is shaped like a 

 balloon, and possesses two principal tentacles provided with lateral filaments; it 

 has further, on each rib, four to five swimming plates. At this stage this larva 

 resembles the adults of some other species of Ctenophora, and only by degrees, 

 after passing through many other stages, assumes the form of the girdle. 



STINGING SERIES Group CNIDARIA 



The Cnidaria or stinging Coelenterates, which comprise the sea anemones, 

 corals, jellyfish, and the little hydra of English ponds, receive their name from the 

 so-called stinging capsules, found in their skin, which may be regarded as the 

 homologues of the adhesive cells of the Ctenophores. Before describing these offen- 



