io8 AN OLD TALE EXPLAINED. [chap. v. 



united to its brethren, has a distinct mouth, body, and 

 tentacula. Of these polypi, in a large specimen, there must 

 be many thousands ; yet we see that they act by one move- 

 ment ; they have also one central axis connected with a 

 system of obscure circulation, and the ova are produced in 

 an organ distinct from the separate individuals.* Well may 

 one be allowed to ask. What is an individual ? It is always 

 interesting to discover the foundation of the strange tales 

 of the old voyagers ; and I have no doubt but that the habits 

 of this Virgularia explain one such case. Captain Lancaster, 

 in his voyage t in 1601, narrates that on the sea-sands of the 

 island of Sombrero, in the East Indies, he ** found a small 

 twig growing up like a young tree, and on offering to pluck 

 it up it shrinks down to the ground, and sinks, unless held 

 very hard. On being plucked up, a great worm is found to 

 be its root, and as the tree groweth in greatness, so doth the 

 worm diminish ; and as soon as the worm is entirely turned 

 into a tree it rooteth in the earth, and so becomes great. 

 This transformation is one of the strangest wonders that I 

 saw in all my travels ; for if this tree is plucked up, while 

 young, and the leaves and bark stripped off, it becomes a 

 hard stone when dry, much like white coral ; thus is this 

 worm twice transfonhed into different natures. Of these 

 we gathered and brought home many." 



During my stay at Bahia Blanca, while waiting for the 

 Beagle^ the place was in a constant state of excitement, from 

 rumours of wars and victories, between the troops of Rosas 

 and the wild Indians. One day an account came that a 

 small party forming one of the postas on the line to Buenos 

 Ayres had been found all murdered. The next day three 

 hundred men arrived from the Colorado, under the command 



* The cavities leading from the fleshy compartments of the extremity 

 were filled with a yellow pulpy matter, which, examined under a micro- 

 scope, presented an extraordinary appearance. The mass consisted of 

 rounded, semi-transparent, irreg^ular grains, aggregated together into par- 

 ticles 01 various sizes. All such particles, and the separate grains, possessed 

 the power of rapid movement ; generally revolving around different axes, 

 but sometimes pro^rressive. The movement was visible with a very weak 

 power, but even with the highest its cause could not be perceived. It was 

 very different from the circulation of the fluid in the elastic bag, containing 

 the thin extremity of the axis. On other occasions, when dissecting small 

 marine animals beneath the microscope, I have seen particles of pulpy matter, 

 some of lar^e size, as soon as they were disengaged, commence revolving. 

 I have imagined, I know not with now much truth, that this granulo-pulpy 

 matter was in process of being converted into ova. Certainly in this zoophyte 

 such appeared to be the case. 



t Kerr's "Collection of Voyages," vol. viii., p. 119. 



