a new Genus of Corynoid Polypes. 77 



suctorial disks as feet, and in this stage of its existence often 

 bears a considerable resemblance to a Lilliputian star-fish. 



In the course of my investigations into the history of the 

 Clavatella, my attention happened to be directed to the brief 

 description of the genus Eleutheria of De Quatrefages in Van 

 der Hoeven's ' Handbook of Zoology/ which that author ranks 

 next to Clava, in the family Hydrina, and upon which he has the 

 following remark : " This form is probably a free bud for the pro- 

 pagation of some species of Coryne, Sertularia, or Tubularia */' 

 Its close relationship to the free zooid of my new Corynoid po- 

 lype was at once apparent. On referring to the Memoire in 

 the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles ' (2 ser. Zoologie, tom. xviii. 

 1842), in which the distinguished French naturalist has given 

 an elaborate and most interesting account of the Eleutheria f, 

 it was evident that the key to its real affinities had fallen 

 into my hands, and that the observations on Clavatella would 

 enable me to supply the missing chapters of its history. In 

 general structure and appearance there is a close resemblance 

 between the free reproductive zooid of the last-named zoophyte 

 and the Eleutheria dichotoma, but there are also differences which 

 prove them to be at least specifically distinct. The chief point 

 of dissimilarity is to be found in the arms, which exhibit in 

 Eleutheria two branches, identical in structure, and both sur- 

 mounted by the globular heads, armed with thread-cells. The 

 special locomotive organ, which is so characteristic of the Clava- 

 tella-zooid, is wanting; and accordingly we read in M. de Qua- 

 trefages's Memoire, — " Plac^ sur un plan de verre avec Feau de 

 mer, notre Eadiaire chemine lentement, tenant toujours sa bouche 

 en haut, et se servant de ses bras pour se trainer peniblement 

 sur cette surface glissante ; mais, s'il rencontre quelques brins de 

 coralline, il les saisit avec ses tentacules bifurques, s^ suspend 

 et passe ainsi de I'un k Fautre avec une certaine agilite bieu 

 diff"erente de ^extreme lenteur que les Hydres mettent toujours 

 dans leurs mouvements.'^ 



* Van Beneden had previously expressed an opinion that the Eleutheria 

 would prove to belong to the family of the Tubulariadce (Rech. sur TEm- 

 bryogenie des Tubulaires, p. 54) ; but, in conformity with the views which 

 he then entertained of Tubularian reproduction, he finds an analogy between 

 it and the Actiniform embryo of his Syncoryne pusilla. 



t The title of De Quatrefages's paper is, " Memoire sur I'Eleutherie di- 

 chotome {Eleutheria dichotoma, nob.), nouveau genre de Rayonne's voisin 

 des Hydres." The characters are given as follows : — 



" Genre Eleuthene. Des points oculaires a la base des bras. Point de 

 pieds. 



" E. dichotome. Corps hcmispherique, d'une couleur jaunatre, parseme 

 de points d'un rouge carmin a la partie inferieure ou posterieure ; six ten- 

 tacules bifurques, termines par des pelotes arrondies. Diametre un demi- 

 miUimetre." (PI. VIII. fig. 4.) 



