208 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



of the body as little spherical excrescences terminating in a point. 

 A few steps further towards maturity, and it assumes a conical and 

 finally a cylindrical form. The arms now begin to push out at the 

 anterior extremity of the young animal ; the posterior extremity by 

 which it is attached to the mother contracting by degrees, until it 

 appears only to touch her at one point. Finally, the separation is 

 effected, the mother and the young acting in concert to produce the 

 entrance of this interesting young polyp into the world. Each of them 

 take with their head and arms a strong point of support upon some 

 neighbouring body ; and a small effort suffices to procure the separa- 

 tion : sometimes the mother charges herself with the effort, sometimes 

 the young, and often both. 



When the young polyp is separated from the mother, it swims 

 about, and executes all the movements peculiar to adult animals. The 

 entrance into life and maturity takes place with these beings at one 

 and the same moment. Infancy and youth are suppressed in this 

 little world. 



So long as the young polyp remains attached to the mother, she is 

 the nurse ; by a touching change, the young polyp nurses her in his 

 turn. In short, the stomach of the mother and her young have 

 communication; so that the prey swallowed by the parent passes 

 partially into the stomach of her progeny. On the other hand, while 

 still attached to the mother, the little ones seize the prey, which they 

 share in their turn with their parent by means of the communication 

 Nature has arranged between the two organisms. 



In the course of his experiments Trembley states another fact still 

 more remarkable. 



Upon a young polyp still attached to its parent he observed a new 

 polyp or polypule, and upon this unborn creature was another 

 individual. Thus three generations were appended to the parent, 

 who carried at once her child, her grandchild, and great-grandchild. 



"In observing the young polyps still attached to their parent," 

 says Trembley, " I have seen one which, had itself a little one which 

 was just issuing from its body ; that is to say, it was a mother while 

 yet attached to its own parent. I had in a short time many young 

 polyps attached to their parents which had already had three or four 

 little ones, of which some were even perfectly formed. They fished 

 for woodlice like others, and they ate them. Nor is this all. I have 



