MEDUSJ3 : THETR APPEARANCE. 209 



extract the passages verbatim from the admirable 

 memoir of that gentleman, written by his nephew. 

 He says : 



" I procured a quantity of snow from a piece of 

 ice that had been washed by the sea, and was greatly 

 discoloured by the decomposition of some peculiar 

 substance upon it. A little of this snow dissolved 

 in a wine-glass appeared perfectly nebulous the 

 water being found to contain a great number of 

 semi-transparent spherical substances, with others 

 resembling small portions of fine hair. On examin- 

 ing these substances with a compound microscope, 

 I was enabled to make the following observa- 

 tions : 



" The semi-transparent globules appeared to con- 

 sist of an animal of the medusa kind. It was from 

 one-twentieth to one-thirtieth of an inch in diameter. 

 Its surface was marked with twelve distinct patches, 

 or nebulae, of dots of a brownish colour. These dots 

 were disposed in pairs, four pairs or sixteen pairs 

 alternately, composing one of the nebula. The body 

 of the medusa was transparent. When the water 

 containing these animals was heated, it emitted a 

 very strong odour, in some respects resembling the 

 smell of oysters when thrown on hot coals, but much 

 more offensive. 



" The fibrous or hair-like substances were more 

 easily examined, being of a darker colour. They 

 varied in length from a point to one-tenth of an 

 inch ; and when highly magnified, were found 



