Miscellaneous. 2.29 



is by no means '^ common,'" lor I have found it only in four or five 

 localities. 



The last time I made acquaintance with this red species (be its 

 name what it may, but vulgaris suits it as far as description is cnn- 

 cerned) was at Bala Lake, in the month of June last ; and there it 

 was in great profusion, — indeed, the only species 1 saw. It was 

 found attached to the under surface of stones near the margin of the 

 lake, and reminded me at the time very forcibly of the red Bianthi, 

 to which Mr. Lewes also compares it It was associated with Fre- 

 dericella sultana, and w ith another (very rare) Polyzoon, Plumatella 

 punctata. 



But what is Van der Iloeven's Hydra grisea 1 Is it the same as 

 the brown variety of vulgaris ? Has it any synonyms 1 AVhose is 

 H. vulgaris''. Certainly here in ^yarw ickshire it is a misnomer, 

 being the very opposite of common ; indeed, I do not remember 

 ever to have seen it in this neighbourhood. I have occasionally 

 found it in Shropshire, and always in very clear, pure water. 



H.fusca is more abundant here than even H. viridis. 

 I remain, Gentlemen, Yours, &c., 



W. Houghton. 



[Dr. Johnston in the 2nd Edition of his ' British Zoophytes ' de- 

 scribes four species : II. viridis, II. vulgaris, II. uttenuata, and //. 

 oligactis. The H. grisea of Van der Hoeven is probably the H. 

 grisea of Linnfeus, which is given as a synonym of H. vulgaris, 

 Pallas.— Ed.] 



On the Genus Hyalonema. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &c. 



In my original description of the genus Hyalonema, published in 

 the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for IH.'j.'j, p. 63, the 

 publication of which I had delayed in hopes of being enabled, by the 

 acquisition of more copious materials, to clear up some points which 

 did not appear at that time capable of satisfactory elucidation, I 

 described the " Polypus ignofus," but placed it near Gorgonia, on 

 account of its being covered with bark, like the Barked Corals ; and, 

 in a recent paper in the 'Annals,' I suggested its being considered as 

 a peculiar suborder of that class of Zoophytes. 



Mr. John J. Brandt has lately published a description and figure 

 of the animal, and shows that, instead of having eight pinnated 

 tentacles, like the Gorgoniadce, it has twenty or more simple conical 

 ones, Uke the Actinice. Mr. Brandt proposes to form for its 

 reception a peculiar family of the " Polyacfinia," under the name of 

 Hyalochcetides. The figure of the animal and the structure of its 

 external coat, and especially of the aperture of the cells, greatly 

 resemble those of the genera Corticifera and MammilUfera and the 

 other ^'^Zoantftaires coriaces^' of Blainville, indeed, one is now asto- 

 nished that we had not before observed the similarity, and placed it 

 with those animals. But the genus (or family) differs from these ani- 

 mals in having an erect axis, formed of a bundle of twisted silicious 

 filaments. 



