200 HISTORY OF BRITISH ZOOPHYTES. 



portions four, five, or eight inches long, with the central 

 bone protruding from one of its extremities, denoting its 

 mutilation. But these are only fragments. The largest I 

 have ever had, extended twenty-three inches in length, nor 

 was this a complete specimen/' and he concludes, for rea- 

 sons assigned, that this specimen must have extended at 

 least thirty inches. " In its greatest breadth a fine speci- 

 men expands about an inch between the opposite hydrse, 

 terminating the extremity of the lobes. The whole is of a 

 beautiful straw-colour, presenting an object whose interest- 

 ing appearance can be sufficiently appreciated only by be- 

 holding the living creature in vigorous display of all its 

 parts." 



It is generally thought that the Virgularia fixes the lower 

 extremity in the mud, and keeps itself in an erect position, 

 though Sir J. G. Dalyell has doubts of this. It is ques- 

 tioned also whether it has any power of locomotion. When 

 kept in a jar, it does not change its place or general posi- 

 tion ; yet the fleshy body can twist itself in a spiral manner 

 around the longitudinal bone, and having done so, it can 

 again relax into a straight line. The bone is remarkably 

 slender : " probably the diameter of the bone of a full-grown 

 specimen is not above the thousandth part of the length. 



