A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



sufficiently examined to decide whether it was 

 a different species or only a variety. 



4. Cyanea lamarckii. 



In July, 1888, this was very abundant in 

 the Aide at Shingle Street, and I think I have 

 seen it, or an unusually blue C. capillata, in 

 the Stour or Colne, but so many years ago 

 that I am not certain, and the specimens 

 were not caught and examined carefully. In 

 any case it seems to occur only now and 

 then. 



5. Cyanea imporcata, A. M. Norman. 



On July 26, 1884, I caught in the Colne 

 off Mersea a medusa of a beautiful purple- 

 blue colour. At that time I was studying the 

 spectra of the colouring matters of marine 

 animals, and after making a careful drawing 

 I destroyed the specimen in studying the 

 pigment, not knowing that it was such a rare 

 species. In the seventeen subsequent years 

 I have looked in vain for another specimen. 

 On sending my drawing to Mr. Garstang, he 

 recognised it as a Cyaneid medusa, on account 

 of the sixteen radial gastric pouches indicated 

 in my figure, the deep and much folded oral 

 membranes, the absence of marginal tentacles 

 and the presence of eight crescentic groups of 

 tentacles attached to the under side of the 

 disk at some distance from the edge. The 

 tentacles are seen to be of various lengths, 

 but many exceed twice the length of the oral 

 appendages. The medusa, on the other hand, 

 differs from the common Cyanete of our coasts 

 in the cup-shaped disk, the diameter of which 

 is less than twice the height. In this re- 

 spect the medusa closely resembles the Cyanea 

 imporcata of Norman (Nat. Hist. Trans. 

 Northumberland and Durham, 1865, i. 58 

 60, pi. xi.), of which only a single specimen 

 has hitherto been recorded, and that also in 

 the North Sea, between the Dogger Bank 

 and Newcastle. Mr. Garstang believes the 

 two to belong to the same species, although 

 my specimen was probably devoid of the super- 

 ficial markings on the disk which Norman 

 figured, and which he tentatively but errone- 

 ously described as radiating and secondary 

 canals. Possibly the species inhabits the 

 deeper waters to the north of our islands, 

 from which region stray specimens have 

 drifted from time to time down our east 

 coast. Further information is much to be 

 desired to clear up several doubts connected 

 with this species, which is evidently very 

 rare in the English seas. 



6. Aurelia aurita (Linn.) 



Though there seems to be a great variation 



in number in different years, yet on the 

 whole this is by far the most common medusa 

 on the coast. Occasionally it is extremely 

 abundant. By far the larger number are 

 under 6 inches in diameter, but those of at 

 least double that size are sometimes numerous 

 in the latter part of the season. I have col- 

 lected and preserved a considerable number 

 of abnormal varieties, differing much in the 

 number of the different organs. 



1 . Rhizostoma octopus. Linn. 



I have occasionally seen very fine speci- 

 mens in the Wallet and in the Swin. I have 

 collected many small ones in the Crouch at 

 Burnham and one in the Colne, but none in 

 any other of the Essex estuaries. 



II. CTENOPHORA 



Jellyfish devoid of a muscular umbrella and 

 provided with eight vertical (meridional) rows 

 of iridescent paddles. 



Pleurobrachia pileus, Modeer. 



Formerly common at most places, but 

 during the last few years has become less and 

 less abundant, and in 1900-1 comparatively 

 scarce. The best way to preserve it is to 

 take it out of the water by means of a sieve, 

 and put it at once into diluted formalin. 

 Trawled or dredged specimens are almost 

 worthless. I have a mounted specimen which 

 had been swallowed by another only a little 

 larger. 



III. ANTHOZOA 

 (Sea Anemones and Corals') 



Nomenclature : Gosse, British Sea Ane- 

 mones and Corals (1860). 



1. Alcyonium digitatum, Linn. 



The only locality in which I have found 

 this is in the open water off Harwich, never 

 having dredged it in the estuaries. Mr. Un- 

 thank has met with it in the Wallet. 



2. Actinoloba dianthus, Ellis. 



The white, the flesh-coloured and the 

 brown varieties all occur abundantly in the 

 Crouch at Burnham, attached to large stones 

 on the south shore, and can be easily ob- 

 tained when the tide is very low. Some 

 years ago I found some on the oyster beacons 

 in Pyefleet, but I have not seen any for 

 several seasons. The white and the flesh- 

 coloured varieties are abundant on the timber 

 of the pier at Harwich, but are exposed only 

 when the tide is very low. By using men- 

 thol it may be killed and preserved in a fully 

 expanded condition. 



