STOMOBRACHIUM. SARSIA GEMMIFERA. 65 



gantly moulded as the glass shades often placed over 

 stuffed birds or artificial flowers. The finest crystal 

 vase is clumsiness itself when compared with it ; it is 

 as translucent as the walls of a soap-bubble, and 

 doubtless, when placed in the sunshine under favour- 

 able circumstances, equally iridescent. Nevertheless, 

 delicate as its fabric is, the vigour of the little crea- 

 ture is very remarkable, and may be compared to the 

 efforts of a strong swimmer, as it alternately contracts 

 and expands its pellucid organization. The margin 

 of its mouth is surrounded with a close fringe of 

 brownish tentacula, which, by the aid of a lens, may 

 be observed to become drawn in when the body con- 

 tracts ; but at every stroke made in swimming, they 

 are protruded like forked lightning, or like feathered 

 serpents darting and flashing forth till they are longer 

 than the entire animal. 



The Sarsia gemmifera (PL I. fig. 7) is a very small 

 species of Medusa, scarcely a quarter of an inch in 

 length, but an object of great interest on account of 

 the remarkable manner in which it produces progeny 

 from buds*, or by a process of gemmation from the 

 walls of its peduncle, which, at certain seasons, pre- 

 sents the curious spectacle of young individuals in 

 various stages of development, sprouting like so many 

 mushrooms from its surface. These are not distri- 

 buted in any regular order according to their degree 

 of advancement, but at the same time there is an in- 

 distinct spiral arrangement to be observed, and the 

 peduncle has a tendency to assume angular bendings 

 at the points from whence the buds spring. In its 

 * Forbes, British Naked-eyed Medusae. 



