THE CCELENTERATA 



53 



said, a fair link between the Hydroid zoophytes and the 

 true jelly-fishes. It is funnel-shaped, about an inch in 

 height and as much across, and the rim of the funnel is 

 drawn into eight (sometimes, but rarely, ten or twelve) 

 corners, each corner bearing a tassel or tuft of knobbed 

 tentacles, each plentifully armed with sting cells. 



The mouth is a square aperture in the centre of the disc, 



Fig. 20. Haliclystus octoradiatus, 1. Two specimens, natural size 

 2. One enlarged, about 3 diameters 



and the lower end of the funnel is somewhat widened, 

 forming a foot, by which it attaches itself to sea-weeds, etc. 

 (Almost invariably it is attached to the leaves of Zostera.) 



From the mouth to the tassels radiate eight strongly 

 marked bands, which at certain times are filled with the 

 reproductive elements, rendering them very conspicuous, 

 the ova especially, which is of a bright red colour. 



The colour of Haliclystus is usually that of bright new 

 copper with iridescent purple shades ; sometimes it is of 



