EVERSION OF ITS UMBRELLA. 373 



trie fluids are known to have an antiseptic power in 

 the Vertebrate animals. 



After I had kept this Chrysaora for about a week 

 its manners underwent a change. It no longer swam 

 about freely in the water by means of its pumping 

 contractions, nor was its appearance that of a um- 

 brella. It began to turn itself inside out, and at 

 length assumed this form permanently, its shape 

 being that of a very elegant vase or cup, with the rim 

 turned over and the tentacles depending loosely from 

 it, the furbelows constituting a sort of foot. The 

 latter were new put to a new use : the animal began 

 habitually to rest near the bottom of the vessel, or 

 upon the broad fronds of Iridaa, which were growing 

 in the water and preserving its purity ; but occasion- 

 ally it would rise midway to the surface, and hang 

 by one or two of the furbelows. A fold or two of the 

 latter would come to the top of the water, and dilate 

 upon the surface into a broad flat expansion, exactly 

 like the foot of a swimming Mollusk ; from this the 

 Medusa would hang suspended in an inverted position. 

 All the other furbelows, and the parts of this one that 

 lay below the expansion, floated as usual through the 

 water, except that, on some occasions, an accessory 

 power was obtained by pressing a portion of another 

 furbelow to the side of the glass, and making it ad- 

 here, just like the part that was exposed to the surface 

 air. The texture of the furbelows when thus stretched 

 smooth was exquisitely delicate. 



The eversion of the sub-umbrella was connected 

 with the maturing of the ovaries. I had observed 

 that in Turris the development of the ova was inva- 

 K 2 



