562 THE CYDIPEE. 
animal is achieved simply by taking water slowly into the bells, and expelling it smartly, 
much after the fashion of the ordinary Meduse. 
Trailing from the interior of the bells may be seen a curiously-elongated appendage, 
studded with globules, which are, in fact, the offspring in different stages of development. A 
number of tiny discs set on footstalks are also distributed along this appendage, and save the 
power of adhesion to any object which they may happen to touch. 

COMB-BEARERS; CYENOPHORA. 
WE now come to a fresh order named Ctenophora, or comb-bearers, because their bodies 
are furnished with rows of flattened cilia, set in rows above each other something like the 
teeth of a comb. There are many members of this beautiful order to be found, of which the 
common CYDIPPE is an excellent example. In the accompanying illustration it is drawn of its 
natural size. 
This lovely creature may easily be captured by the simple process of towing a gauze net 
over the side of a sailing boat. When removed from the water the net will be found studded 
with variously-sized knobs of transparent gelatine, not particularly attractive, and presenting 
no salient points whatever. Let, however, these apparently inanimate lumps of jelly be 
transferred to a vessel filled with sea-water, and then how different is their aspect ! 
Until the eye is accustomed to their shapes, they are not very easily seen, owing to their 
transparency and the similarity between their refractive powers and those of the water. I 
have often noticed persons looking at my glass jars without discovering that a single living 
creature was within them, though each jar was tenanted by two or three of these beautiful 
creatures. 
By degrees, however, they became plainly visible, the chief points of attraction being the 
eight bands of ever moving cilia that are drawn longitudinally over the body, and by 
means of which the creature performs its wonderful 
6 evolutions. The Cydippe is never still, but careers 
; through the water with ceaseless movement, sometimes 
rising and falling in one spot, sometimes rolling over 
ae and over, sometimes spinning on its longer axis, but 
mostly pursuing a partly spiral course, turning slowly 
on itself as it proceeds through the water. 
During these movements a faint iridescence plays 
¢ over the whole body of the Cydippe, but its chief glories 
., are concentrated upon the bands of cilia which are 
 ) } drawn over the body. On these the colors are too brill- 
jant, and yet evanescent, for description. Miniature 
rainbows seem to ripple along these living belts ; and as 
the Cydippe glides gracefully along, it appears to be 


Th 
BUTT a? 
— 
IT 
) 
( a encircled with many diadems of self-illumined jewelry. 
SS If examined by the microscope, the cilize of which the 
(i ae ot “ 
locomotive bands are composed are seen to bear some 
resemblance to very narrow Venetian blinds, each lath 
CYDIPPE.—Cydippe pileus. closing or opening in regular succession. 
Pendent from the body are further seen two long 
filaments, to which are attached a number of shorter and still finer threads, not unlike the 
hooks and snoods on a deep-sea line, and used, indeed, for a similar purpose. The Cydippe 
can protrude or retract these tentacles at will, and is continually throwing them out from the 
body or drawing them back again, so that they never seem to be exactly the same length, one 
