THE CROWNED EOLIS. 41 



round the orifice, in the manner of a beautiful expanded 

 flower. 



As the Doris crawls along, it now and then lifts and 

 puckers the edge of the mantle, and displays its under 

 surface and that of the foot, which are of a rich orange- 

 scarlet hue. 



But we have turned a stone beneath which lurk 

 several specimens of a much lovelier creature yet. I 

 see by the gleams of crimson and azure which shine 

 out from it, that it must be the Crowned Eolis. 1 It 

 looked a little heap of fibrous semi-pellucid flesh when 

 out of water, and, like the Triope, must be immersed to 

 display its beauties. Now in the phial of water, how 

 elegant it is ! Its body is long and slender, tapering 

 away to an almost imperceptible point behind, of a 

 clear translucent white. The head forms two long 

 smooth taper tentacles, which wave hither and thither 

 as the creature gracefully glides along ; and besides 

 these it has two other tentacles, distinguished as the 

 dorsal pair, resembling, in their position and in their 

 structure, those of the Doris and Triope, but not 

 sheathed. 



The chief glory of this exquisite animal, however, is 

 in its breathing organs. These consist of clusters of 



1 Eolis coronata, figured in the upper part of Plate IT., above the Sen 

 Lemon. 



