428 ACALEPHA. 



perliaps as ovaries, and some longer than the rest as tentacula, are 

 attached to these vesicles and compose the whole apparent organiza- 

 tion of these animals. They have no apparent mouth, or one which 

 can be decidedly considered as such. 



Physalia, Lam. 



The Physaliae resemble an extremely large oblong bladder eleva- 

 ted superiorly into an oblique and Avrinkled crest, and furnished be- 

 neath, near one of its extremities, with numerous, cylindrical, fleshy 

 productions, variously terminated, that communicate with the blad- 

 der. Those in the middle give origin to more or less numerous 

 groups of little filaments ; the lateral ones are merely divided into 

 two threads, one of which is frequently very long. There appears 

 to be an extremely small orifice in one of the extremities of the 

 bladder, but internally no other intestine is found, but another blad- 

 der with thinner parietes, and caeca that partly extend into the cavi- 

 ties of the crest. There is no nervous, circulating, nor glandular 

 system*. The animal swims on the surface of the sea when it is 

 calm, employing its crest as a sail. AVhen living, it is also furnished 

 with extremely long filaments, more slender than the others, which 

 are sprinkled, as it were, with pearls or drops. Its touch is said to 

 sting and burn like that of the Sea-nettle. 



They are found in all the seas of hot climates f. 



Physsophora, Forsk. 



These Acalepha are evidently allied to the Physalise, but their 

 bladder is proportionally much smaller, has no crest, and is fre- 

 quently accompanied by lateral bladders; their various and numerous 

 tentacula are suspended vertically under the bladder, like a garland 

 or cluster. In 



Physsophora, Per., 



Or Physsophora properly so called, between the superior bladder 

 and the tentacula are other bladders placed side by side, or one on 

 another, sometimes of an irregular figure, and sometimes polyedrous, 

 forming, by their union, prisms or cylinders. The tentacula, partly 

 conical, partly cylindrical, and partly formed by groups of threads or 



* I have satisfied myself of this total absence of internal and complicated organs 

 in many large individuals, so that I cannot admit the recent idea that the Physalia 

 may be one of the Mollusca. 



f Hulothitria 2^^i!/saJis, L. ; Amoen., Ac, IV, iii, 6 ; Sloane, Jam., I, iv, 5 ; — il/e- 

 dusa utriculfts, Gm., Lamartini^ie, Journ. de Phys., Nov. 17S7, H, 13, 14; — Me- 

 dusa caravella, Miill., Nat. of Berl., Bescli., II, 9, 2, are Physalitc, but which do not 

 appear to be sufficiently described to enable us to unite or distinguish them specifi- 

 cally. I will say the same of the Physal. pelagica, Bosc, Vers, II, xix, 1, 2, and the 

 Phjjsalie miyalisle, Per., Voy., I, xxix, 1. This observation will even apply to those 

 of Tilesius, Voy. of Krusentst. and Lesson, Voy. de Duperr., Zooph., pi. 4 and 5, 

 although better characterized, until we have more accurate observations of the 

 changes which age or other circumstances may produce ia the number of the ten- 

 tacula. 



