CO BY THE DEEP SEA. 



passing gracefully and without seeming effort through the 

 water, not always in our plane, now upwards to the surface, 

 then downwards out of reach. You are fascinated by the 

 exquisite beauty, and hope the one you are watching will not 

 pass out of sight. As if in response to your unexpressed wish, 

 it ceases its downward course, and whilst suspending itself 

 in the water begins to revolve laterally. Your astonishment 

 increases, for you now see that it is furnished with paddle- 

 wheels, or else it is an animated paddle-wheel itself. No ; a 

 turn convinces you again it is globular in form, but the paddles 

 are equally obvious. How can it be? What machinery 

 turns them? and what are the two almost interminable 

 threads of gossamer that trail behind, below, or above it ? 



You watch your opportunity, and the next time one comes 

 near the surface you skilfully trap it in a glass jar, and then 

 some of its mystery is made clearer. The paddle-wheels are 

 eight bands that stretch from pole to pole, and across these at 

 short intervals are rows of " eye-lashes." There is no rotatory 

 motion of the bands, but by the alternate depression and 

 raising of the eye-lashes, an optical illusion is produced. And 

 yet the effect is the same as if these bands revolved with fixed 

 "floats;" the movements of the eye-lashes row the fragile 

 vessel through the water, and with every movement the light 

 is reflected in prismatic tints that seem to pass in rapid 

 flashes along each of the eight bands. But whilst we have 

 been investigating the mystery of propulsion, what has 

 become of those long attenuated streamers? Broken off 

 by our rough handling as we potted it ? No ; the creature, 

 as though sensible of danger, has carefully tucked them 

 away into suitable pockets. We can behold them through 

 the clear jelly in curved club-shaped receptacles. Look; 

 here they come ! The Beroe is getting confident, and the 

 tentacles stream out again 'to six times the length of the 

 animated globe. They can be lengthened or shortened 

 at the creature's will; and each one is provided with an 



