THE GAPELET. 225 



The Gapelet is rather difficult of domestication. In 

 general, it attaches itself (usually to the perpendicular 

 side of the vessel) for a short time, but soon relinquishes 

 its hold, and, after rolling about a few days on the bottom, 

 dies. The approach of death seems to be always symptomed 

 by spontaneous rupture and sloughing of the skin, and 

 protrusion of the viscera. One, however, of the variety 

 pyriglotta, the gift of my kind friend, Mr. Gregor, esta- 

 blished itself in my largest tank, and survived three 

 months. My friend Mr. "West has had a specimen from 

 the Yorkshire coast a still longer time. 



In health, Stomphia is remarkable for its extreme ver- 

 satility of form. The column is sometimes cylindrical, 

 sometimes shaped like a dice-box, sometimes like an hour- 

 glass, while frequently successive constrictions chase one 

 another along the extent. The base, when the animal is 

 free, is sometimes concave, at others convex, and occa- 

 sionally conical, while not unfrequently these forms are 

 combined, the centre being conical while the rest is concave, 

 — a cone in a crater. The disk is sometimes a deep bell, 

 like a Convolvulus ; then a low cone, with the widely- 

 gaping mouth crowning the summit. 



My first consignment from Macduff consisted of two 

 individuals, which on dissection proved to be of opposite 

 sexes. They showed no external diversity of form or 

 colour, but of one the pale salmon-coloured reproductive 

 organs, which were very plump and full, were found under 

 the compressorium to be filled with an infinite multitude of 

 spermatozoa ; each of which consisted of a long-oval body 

 •00015 inch in length, and a vibratile tail about thrice as 

 long. In the other example the mesenteries were loaded 

 with grape-like ova of a brilliant scarlet hue, varying in 

 dimensions; — one of the largest measured *03 inch in 

 diameter. These consisted of an opaque scarlet yelk in a 



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