374 THE MICROSCOPE. 



tinated swellings, larger towards the middle, tapering 

 upwards, and terminating in a thin bony substance, which 

 passes through the whole. Professor Grant writes of them : 

 " Their axis is calcareous, solid, white, brittle, flexible, 

 cylindrical, of equal thickness throughout, and exhibits no 

 mark of attachment at either end. When broken, it 

 exhibits a radiated surface, like the broken spine of an 

 echinus. The axis appears to have little connection with 

 the fleshy part, and to consist of concentric layers deposited 

 by the soft parts surrounding it. When a portion of the 

 axis is broken off from either extremity, the animal re- 

 tracts at that part, so as continually to expose a fresh 

 naked portion of the axis ; hence we can take out the axis 

 entirely from its soft sheath, and we always find the lower 

 pinuee of the animal drawn up closely together, as if by 

 the frequent breaking of the base. These very delicate 

 and brittle animals seem to be confined to a small cir- 

 cumscribed part of the coast, which has a considerable 

 depth and a muddy bottom ; and the fishermen accus 

 tomed to dredge at that place believe, from the clearness 

 of the Virgularice when brought to the surface, that they 

 stand erect at the bottom with one end fixed in the mud 

 or clay. M tiller's specimens were found on a part of the 

 Norwegian coast with a muddy bottom." 



ALCYONID.E. The family of the Alcyonium derive their 

 name from Alcyone or Halcyone, the daughter of Neptune 

 and wife of Ceyx, who, hearing of her husband's death at 

 sevi, cast herself into it ; and there, with her husband, was 

 changed into birds of the same name, to keep the waters 

 calm, while they were sitting in nests of sea-foam for the 

 space of seven, eleven, or fourteen days. Thus Alcyon 

 signifies kingfisher, or sea-foam. 



Alcyonium digitatum, " Fingered Alcyonium," (Fig. 

 195, No. 2). The French call it Main de Her, "sea- 

 hand," the Germans Diebshand } " thief's hand." Some- 

 times they are very small ; but when larger are 

 named by the fishermen Cows'-paps, and others, dif- 

 fering a little in form, Dead Metis Toes, or Dead Metis 

 Hands. Their spiculse are calcareous, or siliceous crystal- 

 line, in the form of a cross, toothed at the sides, and lie 

 scattered through a jelly-like mass. The cells occupied 



