120 SOME WONDEES OF THE SEA. 



Suppose that we could take a Cydippe rather more 

 than two inches in length, and roll it out as a cook rolls 

 paste, until it forms a transparent ribbon some four or 

 five feet in length, we should produce an object very 

 much like the Venus' Girdle (Cesium Veneris). 



The creature mostly inhabits the warmer seas, and is 

 found on the shores of Naples, Nice, and other Mediter- 

 ranean localities. The fishermen generally call it the 

 Sea Sabre. When living and seen in the sunshine as it 

 winds its graceful course through the transparent water, 

 it is a wonderfully lovely creature, gleams of silvery 

 radiance, melting into various shades of blue, pink, and 

 purple, marking its shape. 



At night it is perhaps even more strikingly beautiful, 

 on account of the phosphorescence with which it is 

 endowed, and resembles a ribbon of fire as it undulates 

 through the water. 



The digestive organs of the Cestum are seen traversing 

 the centre of the body, and occupying a very small 

 portion of the animal. There are several species 

 of Cestum, but that which we have described is the most 

 plentiful. 



Not many years ago we knew comparatively nothing 

 about the Jelly Fishes. Now we know just enough to 

 indicate the treasures of knowledge which still lie hidden 

 from us. I have, therefore, selected a few of the typical 

 forms of the Jelly Fishes, hoping that the reader may be 

 induced to study these wonderful creatures, and to see 

 with his own eyes some of the living treasures of the deep. 



