293 



CYSTINGIA. 



CYTINACE^!. 



291 



under Captain (now Sir Edward) Parry, gives the following details of 

 its organisation : 



" The body of this animal, so different in many respects from all 

 other Tethyce, is pyriform, and attached to a pedicle so short as 

 scarcely to curve down farther than the branchial orifice. This 

 pedicle is rather conical at its base, sub-cylindrical, and apparently 

 very, weak at its extremity. From this apparent weakness and im- 

 perfect formation of the pedicle, in conjunction with the circumstance 

 of one side of the conical part in the only specimen that I have seen 

 being incrusted with sand, I suspect that the animal can scarcely be 

 said to be suspended by its pedicle, but rather reposes on the conical 

 part of it ; by which means the folds of the branchial pouch will take 

 a vertical and the stomach a horizontal position, and thus be more in 

 correspondence with the ordinary position of the stomach in the 

 simple Aiddice, which is very rarely descending. The envelope of 

 C. Griffithtii is exceedingly smooth, and so pellucid as to appear 

 almost gelatinous. The original colour I cannot ascertain ; but if it 

 be the same as that of the specimen in spirits, it is cinereous, rather 

 yellowish. The external orifices have scabrous veins, are very minute, 

 and scarcely at all prominent. The branchial orifice is quadrifid, and 

 placed exactly half-way down the side. The anal orifice is on the 

 same line with it and the pedicle, but is placed opposite to this last, 

 BO as to be terminal, having its external surface apparently without 

 rays ; in both respects being totally different from the anal orifice of 

 Boltenia." 



Respiratory System. " The entrance of the branchial cavity is pro- 

 vided with a circular range of 10 or 12 unequal tentacula, which are 

 composite or divided into laciuue at the extremity, which lacinise are 

 again so minutely divided as to be almost plumate. The branchial 

 pouch has about fourteen folds, and its net-work is very indistinct and 

 lax, the transverse nervures being perhaps the most visible, particu- 

 larly towards the branchial orifice. The folds of the branchiw are 

 most easily seen on the inside of the branchial pouch." 



Circulating System. " The heart is situated horizontally between 

 the lower part of the tunic and the stomach. It is large, ovoidal, and 

 appears to be composed of several lobes, and is indeed of a structure 

 different from that of such Atfidida: as are known. 



" The dorsal sulcus is remarkably distinct, and proceeds from the 

 immediate vicinity of the heart, or rather along the back of it to that 

 of the branchial orifice. It may be seen through the external enve- 

 lope of the body when thU is viewed on the left side, and forms an 

 arch inclosing a lesser and more pointed arch, which last appears to 

 be nothing else than one of the folds of the branchial pouch. At the 

 point where this last arch touches the dorsal sulcus there is in our 

 specimen an orifice opening internally, and apparently communicating 

 by a tube with a beautifully diaphanous longitudinal pouch, which 

 contains nothing but two blackish nodules, one of which is longer 

 than the other." The imperfection of the only specimen which 

 M'Leay had for examination prevented him from accurately ascer- 

 taining the nature and use of this part of the organisation, which, he 

 says, appears to have nothing similar to it in any of the other Tunicata 

 hitherto observed. 



Digestive System. " The pharynx is situated rather higher than the 

 branchial orifice ; and the oesophagus, which is about half the length 

 of the stomach, after descending to the highest part of the branchial 

 vein, descends, and gives rise to a simple but enormous stomach, with 

 very slight transverse stria;, and having a longitudinal division, 

 marked somewhat deeply, and which runs almost the whole length of 

 the body in a line between the base of the pedicle and the anal orifice. 

 The intestine is exceedingly short, and apparently descending in a line 

 with the stomach ; the rectum is cylindrical, and anus simple. Such 

 at least is the description of the digestive apparatus of this animal, if 

 we give the name of pharynx to that end of the intestinal canal 

 which opens into the branchial cavity, and the name of anus to that 

 end of it which is free ; and there is no doubt that such a description 

 makes it an animal totally different from Boltenia, and in fact from 

 all other species of Tethyce, not only with respect to the singular form 

 of the intestinal canal, but inasmuch as the branchial vein is thus 

 placed, in relation to the pharynx, directly opposite to its position in 

 all other animals of this group. I therefore am induced in some 

 measure to suppose that there is a monstrous formation in the intes- 

 tinal canal of the only specimen which I have had the means of 

 examining ; a supposition which must of course for the present throw 

 doubt on any generic character which might be drawn from the above 

 description of the intestinal canal. If indeed we could imagine that 

 were it not for some monstrosity of structure, the intestinal canal 

 would communicate with the branchial cavity by that end which, 

 from its being free, I have been obliged to consider the anus, then the 

 whole of the internal organs of nutrition would have a situation 

 analogous to that of those of Boltenia. For instance, there would 

 then be a short (esophagus opening near the anal orifice of the enve- 

 lope, an ascending stomach, a long curved intestine, and descending 

 rectum, while the branchial vein and heart would take their usual 

 situation in respect to the pharynx and stomach. We know more- 

 over, from those memoirs of Savigny, to which I have in the course 

 of this paper had occasion to refer, that the digestive organs of the 

 Tunicata are subject to analogous derangements, of which he has 

 figured two remarkable examples in Cynthia Momui and PhaUuiia 



Turcica. It appears indeed to be a consequence of the low rank of 

 these animals in the scale of being, aud of their simple organisation, 

 that the organs apparently most essential to their existence may 

 undergo the greatest inversions without affecting their life ; for the 

 monstrous Cynthia Momus described by Savigny, as well as the 

 Cystingia now under consideration, had its ovaries full of eggs." 



Mr. Griffiths's specimen was taken in Fox's Channel, and two 

 other specimens were obtained by the expedition under Captain Sir 

 John Ross, near Felix Harbour ; but as these were abandoned with 

 the rest of the collection, it is probable, as Captain James Ross 

 observes, that the individual from which Mr. M'Leay's description 

 and drawings were taken is the only specimen ever brought to 

 England. 



CYSTIPHY'LLUM, a genus of MadnpTiyllicea, proposed by Lous- 

 dale, to include species which have a vesicular internal structure, 

 instead of clearly defined horizontal diaphragms and vertical lamellae. 

 It occurs in the Palaeozoic Strata of Shropshire, Devon, and the Eifel. 



CYSTO'PTERIS, a genus of Ferns belonging to the tribe Aspidieai. 

 It has the indusium attached by its broad hooded base under the 

 sori, with a lengthened fringed free extremity, at first covering the 

 thecai. 



O. fragilie, Brittle Fern, has bipinnate fronds ; the pinna: ovate- 

 lanceolate ; the pinnules ovate or ovate-lanceolate, toothed or pinna- 

 tifid. This is a remarkably variable species of fern. Three forms or 

 varieties may be distinguished C. f. dentata, with obtuse ovate pin- 

 nules, pointless, bluntly toothed or rarely pinnatifid, not decurrent ; 

 C. f. angustata, with pinnules linear, lanceolate, deeply and acutely 

 pinnatifid or slightly toothed at the margin; the ultimate subdi- 

 visions oblong or linear, not dilated, rounded or ovate, sometimes 

 notched at the end. The other form has the pinnules ovate, acute, 

 pinnatifid, cut, and serrated, slightly decurrent. These plants are 

 common in Great Britain, and found on rocks and walls, especially in 

 limestone districts. They are of a diminutive size, and of a remark- 

 ably brittle nature, from which circumstance they have obtained 

 their common name. 



(Babington, Manual of British Botany ; Newman, History of British 

 Anuj 



CYTACIS. [ACALEPH.E.] 



CYTHERjEA. [VENERID*.] 



CYTHERE, a genus of Entomostracous Crustacea, belonging to 

 the legion Lophyropoda, the order Ostracoda, and the family Cytheridce. 

 The species are found very commonly in Great Britain. [BRANCHIO- 

 PODA.] Mr. Rupert Jones, in his ' Monograph of the Entomostraca 

 of the Cretaceous Formation of England,' describes five fossil species 

 belonging to this genus. [ENTOMOSTRACA.] The same author describes 

 ten species of this genus as fossil in the Permian Rocks of England. 



Cythereii is a genus separated from the group of species known as 

 Cythere, by Mr. R. Jones. It has the following characters : The 

 animal is unknown. Carapace-valves or shell of an almost regular 

 oblong shape, the dorsal and ventral margins lying nearly parallel to 

 each other. Surface of a very irregular appearance, being wrinkled, 

 ridged, and beset with tubercles, and crenulated or strongly toothed 

 on the margins. 



Dr. Baird has described three recent species, whilst nine fossil 

 forms have been described by Mr. Jones from the Chalk. 



Bairdia is a group of species formerly referred to Cythere, and 

 separated by M'Coy. The valves externally are convex and smooth, 

 sometimes finely pitted or spined, never ribbed or granulated ; the 

 hinge is simple. 



This genus has no recent species. Six species have been found in 

 the Chalk. 



Cytherdla, a genus separated by Jones from Cythere. It embraces 

 species of Cytherina of other authors. The carapace-valves are oblong, 

 and vary in the convexity and smoothness of the surface ; the right 

 valve is larger than the left, and its contact margin thicker than that 

 of the opposite valve. Six fossil species have been described from 

 the Chalk. 



(Rupert Jones, Monograph of the Entomostraca of the Cretaceoia 

 Formationt of England; W. King, A Monograph of the Permian 

 FosiiU of England, both published by the Palsoontographical Society ; 

 Baird, Natural History of the British Entomostraca -Ray Society.) 



CYTHEREIS. [CrrHERE.] 



CYTHERELLA. [CYTHERE.] 



CYTINA'CE^E, Cutus-Rapei, a small natural order of Rhizanths, 

 the type of which is Cytinus Hypocittis, a parasite found growing on 

 the roots of certain kinds of Cittwi in the south of France. Its stems 

 are a few inches high, thick, succulent, reddish or yellowish, and 

 covered by straight fleshy imbricated scales which are only abortive 

 leaves. The flowers are nearly sessile, erect, arranged at the summit 

 of the stem, yellowish and velvety on the outside. The relations of 

 this order amongst the Rhizanths are evidently with Rafflesiacea and 

 Balanophoracece. Like the Rhizanths generally they are also allied to 

 Fungi, whilst their resemblance to certain Endogenous orders, as 

 Bromeliacea, is evident. Griffiths regards the Rhizanths as reduced 

 or degraded forms of Phamogamous Plants. The fruit is baccate, 

 inferior, leathery, divisible into eight polyspermous lobes. The 

 inspissated juice is used in French pharmacy as a styptic, but it 

 is not admitted with us. Along with this penus are associated the 



