308 DECEMBER. 



are perfectly globular, about the size of small shot or 

 pins' heads, of a rich scarlet-crimson hue : they are de- 

 posited in a singular manner. The oviduct does not 

 extend to the exterior of the body, but discharges the 

 eggs into a large cavity formed by the mouth, of which 

 the discharging siphon is the outlet. From this orifice, 

 then, they are expelled, shot out perpendicularly with 

 considerable force, so that they describe arched courses 

 through the water, like bombs shot from a mortar, rising 

 to a height ten times that of the animal. I have ob- 

 served a dozen or more eggs thus discharged in quick 

 succession, which then fall to the bottom around the 

 parent, destined to constitute one of those family groups 

 in which we usually find the species. 



I have not been successful in rearing these eggs to 

 maturity. The development of the Tunicata has, how- 

 ever, been observed by various naturalists, and by none 

 more thoroughly than by the late Sir John Daly ell, whose 

 elaborate and costly works, profusely illustrated, are 

 such a mine of information respecting the lower forms 

 of marine life. 



The young escapes from the egg in a form as unlike 

 the parent as can be imagined. It is a flat ovate body 

 with a long flat tail, altogether presenting a curious 

 resemblance to the tadpole of a frog. In this condition 

 T have found the larva of the Clavelina, and have fol- 



