x)n a new Marine AnimaL 241 



laterally; thofe on the belly longitudinally, to fhorten theani- 

 inal when llretched out, and to draw it into thefiiell. 



The flomach and inteftine make one ftraight canal : the ante- 

 rior end of this forms the mouth, which opens into the grooves 

 made by the fpiral turns of the tentacula round the llem of 

 each of the cones ; and the inteftine at tlie poflerior end opens 

 externally, forming the anus. From the contraded fbte of 

 the animal, the inteftine is thrown into a number of folds. 



On examining the cones and the tentacula, I at firil: believed 

 that the fpiral form arofe from their being in a contraded ftate ; 

 and that, w'hen the tentacula wereereded, the cone untwifled,. 

 forming a longer cone with the tentacula ariiing from its fides, 

 like the plume from the ilem of a feather; and that this flem 

 was drawn in or fhortened by means of a mufcle pafling along 

 the center, which threw the tentacula into a fpiral line, iimilar 

 to the penis's of many birds ; but \\o\w far this is really the 

 caie, I have not been able to afcertain. 



The internal (Irudure of this animal, like moil of thofe 

 which have tentacula, is very fmiple ; it differs, however, ma- 

 terially from many, in having an anus, mofl: animals of this 

 tribe, as the Polypi, having only one opening, by which the 

 food is received, and the excrementitious part of it alfo after- 

 wards thrown out ; this we muil have fuppofed, from analogy, 

 to take place in the animal which is here defcribed, more parti- 

 cularly fince it is inclofed in a hard (liell, at the bottom of 

 which there appears to be no outlet ; but as there is an anus 

 this cannot be the cafe. 



It is very fingular, that in the Leach, Polypi, &c. where no 

 apparent inconvenience can arile from having an anus, there 

 is not one, while in this animal, v/here it would feem to 

 be attended with many, we find one ; but there being no anus 



iix 



