LAODICEID^. 121 



light reddish-brown color ; the bell has a yellowish tint. The motions 

 of this Medusa are rather sluggish ; they are very conspicuous in the 

 water on account of their wreath of dark-purple ocelh ; they are grega- 

 rious, move near the top of the water, the bell almost striking the 

 surface, and when disturbed return to the surface immediately. There 

 are thirty-six tentacles, eight between each of the four chymiferous 

 tubes, and one at the base of each tube ; the four lobes of the actinos- 

 tome are long, and flare out considerably beyond the diameter of the 

 digestive cavity, which is of a uniform length, widening very gradually 

 to the point of junction with the chymiferous tubes ; the main chymif- 

 erous tubes are slightly winding ; the lower knotty, club-shajaed diver- 

 ticula have a tendency to bend downwards towards the circular tube ; 

 the veil is narrow ; the ovaries are one third the length of the sphero- 

 some. These Jelly-fishes attain a height of nearly two inches ; but 

 smaller specimens, measuring only an inch in height, showed, except 

 the size, no differences ; the character of the marginal capsules of this 

 Medusa, if there are any, has not been examined. 



This is undoubtedly the Melicertiim penicillatum of Eschscholtz, 

 though from his description and figures the characteristic features of 

 this Medusa are not very evident. 



California (Eschscholtz) ; Gulf of Georgia (A. Agassiz) ; San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal. (A. Agassiz). 



Cat. No. 283, San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 1859, A. Agassiz. Medusa. 



Cat. No. 284, San Francisco, CaL, Jan. 1854, T. G. Gary. Medusa. 



Cat. No. 285, Gulf of Georgia, W. T., 1859, A. Agassiz. Medusa. 



Family LAODICEID^ Agass. (emend. A. Agass). 



Laodiceidoe Agass. Cont. Nat. Hist. U. S., IV. p. 350. 1862. 

 Thaumaniiadce Gegenb. ; in Zeit. f. Wiss. Zool., p. 236. 1856. 



The family name of Laodiceidse given to the Thaumantiadse Gegenb. 

 by Professor Agassiz, may, in its turn, yield to that of Lafoeadfe, should 

 it be found that the Hydrarium of Laodicea Less, is invariably a Lafoea. 

 The name Laodiceidae is here retained, as the Medusse, associated under 

 that generic name, present diflFerences which, when the Hydrarium be- 

 comes known, may warrant our retaining the name Laodicea for some 

 of them, and thus the genus which has given the family name may 

 still be retained, even if for the present we substitute for some of the 

 species of Laodicea the older name of Lafoea of Lamouroux. The 

 Laodiceidae are here extended to include the Melicertidse, which cer- 

 tainly are closely related, and can hardly be divided into distinct fami- 

 lies, if we are to judge from the young Medusae and the Hydrarium of 

 these genera. 



