LUCERNARIA. 83 



this pool is an animal, having much of the texture, and 

 somewhat of the form, of an Anemone. Formerly, in- 

 deed, it was associated in the same group, but it is 

 now ascertained to have more affinities with the trans- 

 lucent and often colourless free-swimming jelly-fishes. 

 From its resemblance to an elegant lamp, it is called 

 Lucernaria. 1 We must suppose a Medusa to be turned 

 hollow upwards, and an adhesive foot to be produced 

 from what was before the summit of its "umbrella;" 

 and little more is necessary to constitute a Lucernaria. 

 The most observable peculiarity is that the tentacles, 

 which are very minute, and have the form of a globose 

 head seated on a short stem, are disposed in compact 

 groups of as many as seventy, which groups, eight in 

 number, like so many round balls, are seated on pro- 

 jecting angles of the margin ; while from the centre of 

 the hollow rises a mouth, with four protrusile lips in 

 form of a square. The colour is a dull dark red or 

 liver brown. The animal preys on other creatures, 

 which it captures by means of poison- capsules, and 

 swallows, much as the anemones do. 



And thus we wend our way homeward ; meditating 

 much as we glide across the smooth bay, on the won- 

 drous elegance of form, the exquisite brilliance of 



1 Lucernaria campanulata is represented in the iipper right-hand corner 

 of Plate vn. 



