IKiI.uTHURIA. 76 



In a week, flu'. 10. the anterior portion of the Holotluiria, sundcre.1 

 again near the miiiille : -> that. \\hat originally constituted one entire 

 animal, now consisted of three parts. Afterwards, another portion sun- 



i tV.uii niii- i if the live parts at that time in the vessel ; but from 

 whii-li I cuiilil nut iletennine. If from the smaller Holothuria, each ani- 

 mal had MiMi\iilfil into three. All continued shifting their places ; 

 .some of tin-in occasionally displaying the tentacula, until May 27, of the 

 t'ollnv ar, when, on renewing the sea-water, this arborescent appa- 



ratus was displayed by the whole six. 



A small grey mass was detached from one of them in August. One 

 or other specimen luul thus snlidivided four times. But on November 

 19, or seventeen months after they had come into my possession, only 

 one port inn of the whole survived. 



The subdivision of these animals does not appear to result either from 

 constraint or from injury. If a natural process, however, it is a very 

 singular mode of multiplication, for there is no doubt that each frag- 

 ment becomes a perfect animal ; nay, there is nothing to shew that the 

 creature undergoing such a disruption, suffers very much from it. 



I cannot discover that any precise rule governs the time of divi- 

 sion, or regulates the number of parts. 



Both the animals and the parts present a singular, and sometimes 

 i \ cry uncouth appearance. 



A specimen two inches long, recovered on July 21, divided into 

 two halves nearly equal on the 25th. Plate XIV. figs. 16, 17. In the 

 night of the 29th, the posterior half, fig. 17, subdivided, whereby the 

 entire Holothuria was now in three ports. These parts, which were de- 

 lineated on August 5, being fig. 18, the upper half of fig. 17 ; fig. 19, 

 being the under half of fig. 17 ; and fig. 20 the same as fig. 16, now seen 

 at the later date of August 5, that period comprehending a week, and 

 the animal now somewhat more extended. 



A specimen, fig. 4, obtained on August 3, was delineated August 5 ; 

 also, a fragment procured on August 3, delineated August 6, fig. 21. 



Another specimen of a dark colour, obtained on August 3, though 

 delineation \va.s omitted, presented some peculiarities. It proved rather 



