56 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



" Whether," says Mr. Peach, " it had employed the 

 Sagitta to remove a bone which it had in its throat, 

 after one of its delicate repasts, as the Wolf did the 

 Crane, or not, I am unable to say ; if so, the Medusa 

 was not so honourable as the Wolf ; for despite all the 

 exertions of the Sagitta to free itself, and although 

 the swallowed s stomach was turned outwards during 

 the struggle, it still refused to let the captive go; 

 and the only difference that I could see was, the lips 

 were pressed tighter round the head of his mouthful 

 than before. No doubt the dread of separation ren- 

 dered this tight embrace necessary, having met with 

 a very rough customer. This appears to me to be 

 proof positive that the Medusae prey upon other ani- 

 mals, and do not hesitate to attack those of large size 

 if they fall in their way ; for I cannot believe this in- 

 trusion into the stomach of the Medusa arose from 

 any Paul-Pry accident on the part of the Sagitta. It 

 was a fearful struggle, maintained with great obsti- 

 nacy on both sides, and which I watched for a quarter 

 of an hour. I left them still locked at 2 A.M., hoping 

 at daylight to see the result of the affair, but found that 

 the vanquisher and the vanquished had both vanished, 

 and left only a very minute granular wreck behind. 

 This rapid destruction is not uncommon amongst the 

 minute objects that swarm in the sea; for as soon as 

 the least weakness or sign of decay takes place, the 

 still smaller scavengers fall upon them, and in a very 

 short time all trace of them is lost." 



Professor Edward Forbes observes, that being kept 

 in a jar of salt water with small Crustacea, they not 

 unfrequently devour these animals so much more 



