THE LOWER FORMS OF LIFE. 85 



Calycophoridee (cup-bearing Zoophytes), so called by reason of the 

 " swimming -cup," or nectocalyx, to which the different parts of the 

 animal are attached (Fig. 110, g l and <7 2 ), are very singular-looking 

 creatures, as may be seen by looking at Fig. 110, which represents 

 the first member of the family ever discovered. They occur in 

 various parts of the world, but especially in tropical seas. They are, 

 however, abundant in the Mediterranean, and are sometimes found 

 floating in the waters of our own coasts. I will endeavour to give 

 the reader, by the assistance of the figure, a description of these 

 Zoophytes, and here I shall call into requisition a knowledge of the 

 terms given to the different parts of the compound animal. 



Everybody is acquainted with the bright glistening " jelly fish" 

 left on our shores by the receding tide, and many have reason to 

 remember them on account of their stinging qualities. Now I have 

 only mentioned these "jellv fish" in connection with our cup- 

 bearing zoophytes in order that we may have an idea of their bodily 

 consistence and character. They have no other connection with 

 them except the ties of family, which we shall see by and by. I 

 may here state, however, in parenthesis, that they who desire to get 

 a sound knowledge of zoology must ignore such terms as "jelly 

 fish" or "shell fish." These animals are not fish in any sense 

 of the word. I should not have thought it necessary to make this 

 apparently trivial remark had I not found that even educated men 

 will sometimes keep up a delusive nomenclature because it is popular. 



Well, then, the Calycophoridse are animals possessing a body 

 having the consistence and appearance of the Medusae found on our 

 sea-shores, but, as a general rule, the shape and appearance shown 

 in Fig. 110. They consist in this family, the Dyphydse, of two 

 similarly formed " swimming cups," or nectocalyces, as they are 

 called by Professor Huxley, g 1 and g 2 fitting into each other. 



In the centre of these swimming cups are noticed the two long 

 open tubular-looking bodies termed nectosacs (c). These are the 

 organs of locomotion, and are formed of longitudinally-placed 

 muscular fibres, by the contraction of which the water is expelled 

 from the opening (i) in force, and, as a necessary consequence, the 

 animal is propelled backwards in the direction of the arrow. At d 

 will be noticed a chamber filled with inclosed spaces termed vacuoles, 

 which give it a cellular appearance. 



This is the proximal extremity of the coenosarc (a), which is not, 

 as I before mentioned, covered with a horny case like the Sertularidae. 

 This chamber is called by Huxley the somatocyst, and it will be 

 observed that it is connected by a narrow neck with another dilated 

 portion of the coenosarc, which is, in fact, a chamber from which 

 proceed the various ducts (/) which connect the organs of locomotion 



