TUBULAR AND CELLULAR POLYPI. 173 



votaries, even in their wildest visions, could not have anti- 

 cipated. The circulation of blood in insects, and also in torpid 

 vertebrates; the metamorphosis of Crustacea, the mechanism 

 of pulvilli, and the circularity of relation, are discoveries which, 

 with many others, must mark the present as the brightest era 

 that has hitherto dawned on Zoology. Among those whose 

 active and powerful minds have contributed largely, though 

 often secretly and anonymously, to the great mass of know- 

 ledge now possessed, the author of the paper before us stands 

 conspicuous. Mr. Lister is one of that rare class of men 

 who prefer obscurity to notoriety, — who are ever more willing 

 to allow others the merit of their discoveries than to claim it 

 for themselves, — who instantly communicate to an inquirer 

 the brilliant result of years' research, making no reservation as 

 to its appropriation. This is the spirit that we desire to see ; 

 we are certain that the true proprietor of scientific knowledge 

 loses nothing by it. Often have we seen another parading, 

 for a short time, in the borrowed plumage of philosophy, 

 often christening some discovery with his own name ; but the 

 deceit is never successful : no one thinks of Americus as the 

 discoverer of America. 



The paper before us is one of extraordinary merit; whether 

 we regard the remarkable nature of the facts, the perspicuous 

 manner in which they are recorded, or the lasting influence 

 which such a record must exercise over the whole science of 

 Zoology, we do not hesitate in pronouncing it one of the most 

 valuable the Philosophical Transactions have ever contained. 



We suppress a short introductory essay which we had 

 prepared, of the state of our knowledge of the Acrita, previous 

 to the publication of Mr. Lister's paper, because we consider 

 it our duty to devote all possible space to original commu- 

 nications ; and we shall, therefore, content ourselves with 

 referring the reader to the splendid work of Savigny, a and 

 confine ourselves to a simple notice of the essay before us. 



Mr. Lister's first observation is on the Tubularia indivisa. 

 When magnified about one hundred times, a current of par- 

 ticles was seen within the tube, resembling, in its steady 

 continuous flow, the circulation observable in Chara. h The 



a Memoires sur les Animaux sans vertebres, par Jules- Cesar Savigny. — Partie 

 Seconde. Paris, 1816. 

 b A genus of plants. 



