94 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



the tip, and remain hanging like pearls suspended by a 

 delicate thread to the main stem ; then, like a broken 

 whip, become bent in an acute angle, with as stiff an 

 appearance as if the whole were made up of wires ; 

 and, to complete the wonder, a part of the length of 

 the main thread will assume one appearance, and 

 another part another, and, moreover, pass from one 

 into the other in the quickest possible succession. 

 When expanded, these threads resemble rather a de- 

 licate fabric spun with the finest spider's thread ; at 

 times brought close together, combed in one direc- 

 tion without entangling ; then becoming stretched 

 apart, and preserving in this evolution the most per- 

 fect parallelism among themselves, and at no time 

 and under no circumstances confusing the fringes of 

 the two tentacula. They may cross each other, they 

 may be apparently entangled throughout their length ; 

 but let the animal suddenly contract, and all these 

 innumerable interwoven fringes unfold, shrink, and 

 disappear, as if made of the most elastic India- 

 rubber/' 



It appears, from the observations of Dr. Strethill 

 Wright, that the surfaces of the tentacula of Cydippe 

 are crowded with minute thread-cells or stinging or- 

 gans, and must be regarded as instruments for the 

 capture of prey. "I had frequent opportunities of 

 seeing these animals take their prey by the aid of 

 their tentacles, and was delighted with the address 

 they displayed in using these seemingly unmanage- 

 able appendages. The food of Cydippe was easily 

 ascertained, as the stomachs of many of the speci- 

 mens taken were packed with minute Crustacea. To 



