JELLY-DISHES. 31 



creature, and the terror of tender-skinned bathers. With its broad, tawny, festooned 

 and scalloped disk, often a full foot or even more across, it flaps its way through the 

 yielding waters, and drags after it a long train of riband-like arms, and seemingly inter- 

 minable tails, marking its course when the body is far away from us. Once tangled in 

 its trailing "hair," the unfortunate who has recklessly ventured across the monster's 

 path soon writhes in prickly torture. Every straggle but binds the poisonous threads 

 more firmly round his body, and then there is no escape ; for when the winder of the fatal 

 net finds his course impeded by the terrified human wrestling in his coils, seeking no 

 combat with the mightier biped, he casts loose his envenomed arms and sw.ms away. 

 The amputated weapons, severed from their parent body, vent vengeance on the cause 

 of their destruction, and sting as fiercely as if their original proprietor gave the word of 

 attack. PROF. FORBES. 



FlG. 24--SAKSIA. 



The Tube-mouthed Sarsia (Sarsia* tubulosa) (Fig. 24), is a species of smaller 

 dimensions, which, as it floats along, might be supposed, sylph-like, to live on light and 

 quaff the ether, but is in reality by no means addicted to such scanty diet. A few of 

 them being kept by Professor Forbes in a jar of salt water, in which were some small 

 shrimps, devoured these animals, so much more highly organized than themselves, vora- 

 ciously, app?rently enjoying the destruction of the upper classes with a truly democratic 

 relish. One of them even attacked, and commenced swallowing, a medusa, quite as 

 good as itself. An animal that can pout out its mouth to twice the length of its body, 

 and stretch its stomach to proportionate dimensions, must indeed be a triton among the 

 minnows, and a very terrific one too. Yet is this ferocious creature one of the most 

 delicate inhabitants of the ocean, and a very model of tenderness and elegance. PROF. 

 FORBES. 



In many species, as in that represented in Fig. 23, the margin 

 of the transparent disk is fringed with short and slender tentacles, 

 each of which springs from a fleshy bulb, wherein is set a speck 

 of deep purple colour, thought to he an eye, giving an appearance 

 as though the body was surrounded with a circlet of gems. On 

 taking it into a dark room and striking the glass, every purple eye 

 becomes lighted into a phosphoric flame, and again and again the 

 crown of light may be made to flash forth, but less brilliantly than 

 at first, until at length each tiny lamp, after sparkling for a mo- 

 ment, wanes, and all is dark again ; and at last it refuses to shine 

 any more. 



These bell-shaped Acalephs are exceedingly prolific. Their 



* Sars, a proper name. 



