PHYSOl'HORID.E. I 5 I 



dantly proved by many naturalists, myself among the number, and 

 Mr. Bennet to his cost, as already narrated. We can only suppose 

 that the injection of the poison is under the control of the Physalia's 

 will, and the impunity of the bold little fishes is sufficiently accounted 

 for." 



Among the numerous specimens of the Physalia captured on our 

 coast, one was obtained at Tenby, by Mr. Hughes, who has given a 

 report of the capture, in which he mentions a circumstance as 

 "normal," which excited Mr. Gosse's curiosity; it was said to be 

 accompanied by " its attendant satellites, two Vdella." In reply to 

 his inquiries, Mr. Hughes says, " My authority for the association of 

 the Velella with Physalia is Jenkins, the collector of Tenby, who was 

 attending me when it was found. The Physalia was taken by me 

 first ; and, while I was admiring it, I noticed that Jenkins continued 

 his search for something. Immediately afterwards he came up with 

 the Velella in his hand, at the same time stating they were generally 

 found with the Portuguese man-of-war. As I had found him very 

 lionest and truthful in his dealings with me, I accepted his information 

 as correct." 



The Velellinge assemble together in great shoals ; in tropical seas 

 and even in the Mediterranean, and on the western shores of 

 Ireland they may be seen in fine weather floating on the surface of 

 the waves. As described by De Blainville, the body of Velella 

 spirans is oval or circular, and gelatinous, sustained in the interior of 

 the dorsal disc by a solid sub-cartilaginous frame, provided on the 

 lower surface of the disk with extensible tentacular cirri. The 

 family includes but two genera ; namely, Porpita and Velella, which 

 the reader will most readily comprehend from the brief description 

 which we shall give of the Mediterranean Velella {V. spirans. 

 Fig. 50), which has been very minutely examined by M. Charles 

 Vogt, of Geneva, from whose work on the " Inferior Animals of the 

 Mediterranean" our details are borrowed. V. spirans, sometimes 

 called V. limbosa, was discovered in the Mediterranean, between 

 Monaco and Mentone, by Forskal, who most erroneously took it for 

 an Holothurion. On the upper surface of the animal is a hydrostatic 

 apparatus, the object of which is to enable it to maintain its 

 equihbrium in the water. This apparatus consists of a shield and a 

 crest, organs of which M. Vogt gives a very detailed description \ but 

 it is on the under surface that the principal organs of the Velella are 

 exhibited. These are not seen when the animal swims, because 

 under such circumstances the vertical oblique crest only is visible. 

 The lower surface is concave, with a sort of mesial nucleus, presenting 



