452 Mrs. Thynne and Mr. Gosse on the Increase of Madrepores. 



history during two or three months in the spring of 1849. 

 After this time, I went to reside by the sea-side for eight 

 months in the year. I then took my favourites with me, and 

 pursued my researches in the marine kingdom under ordinary 

 circumstances. The two young Madrepores were not in my 

 collection in 1849; they were hatched when I again had it with 

 me in London for a few mouths in the spring of 1850. 



Some Account of the earliest years of two Madrepores. 

 [Extracts from a Note-book.] 



9. London, April 11th, 1850. — This morning I discovered with 

 my glass, on a small piece of rock to which a Madrepore was 

 attached, two minute spots, which I thought were clusters of ova. 

 On touching them with the feathered part of a pen, they were 

 apparently instantly transformed into specks of yellow jelly, 

 scarcely visible to the naked eye. Further observations enabled 

 me to decide that what I had mistaken for clusters of ova were 

 the white tips of the tentacula of two young Madrepores. 



10. April 20th. — I wished to ascertain whether my young 

 Madrepores would yet take any visible food. I scraped some 

 boiled shrimp to powder, and, when their tiny tentacula were 

 expanded, let it fall through the water, and was greatly amused 

 to see with what avidity they seized it. They were far more 

 voracious than the old ones. 



11. Tenby, June I2th. — I left London Jvine 8th, and took 

 the Madrepores with me; they have borne a journey to Tenby 

 in safety. 



12. September 30th. — My young Madrepores have undoubt- 

 edly increased in size, without, as yet, having formed any polypi- 

 dom ; they are three times as large as the full-grown ones, and, 

 when fully expanded, would cover a half-crown piece. Can this 

 extraordinary growth arise from their having been kept warmer 

 and better fed than they might have been in their natural state ? 

 They have also the power of locomotion, though they are not 

 actively disposed; and the only exertion they have made has 

 been to remove out of the way of each other, or of any piece of 

 sea-weed or other obstruction that appeared to interfere with 

 their comfortable enlargement. I have changed their water 

 every morning, and fed them every other day with shrimps, 

 prawns, or raw mussels cut very fine. They thrive best on raw 

 mussels. 



13. October 3rd. — One of the young Madrepores has opened 

 its mouth to an extraordinary width, and will not close it upon 

 food that I place within it. Still, its colour is so clear, and it 

 altogether looks so healthy, that I have (perhaps rashly) asserted 



