DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLYPE. 221 



watcliing during many protrusions and retractions, I 

 was enabled to make out this with sufficient distinct- 

 ness ; though some portions of the area were still semi- 

 opaque, and therefore obscure. I could see also an am- 

 ple aperture on the surface opposite to that at which I 

 was looking (viz. the adhering base, for as it was in 

 a glass vessel, ] could apply my microscope only to 

 the outside, and therefore only saw it through the 

 glass to which it had attached itself) ; this aperture 

 on the upper surface, was excentral, and situated on 

 the half nearest the spinous end. Possibly this aper- 

 ture was covered with a membrane, (like that in 

 Cellular ia avicularia) for I think that the bundle of 

 tentacles were not protruded through it, but through 

 an orifice more terminal, yet still above the plane of 

 the spines. The body of the poh^pe, of a homy 

 yellow hue, was doubly bent to one side, and behind 

 the angle was an irregular transverse mass of deep red 

 matter, and another small spot of the same was a 

 little on one side of the centre. These were all the 

 remains of the scarlet substance left. (See fig. 3). 



On the morning of the third day I found the polype 

 perfectly formed and well-expanded, a circle of 

 thirteen tentacles; these were usually protruded in 

 the form of a funnel, with the rim so slightly everted 

 as scarcely to entitle it to be called a bell, but now 

 and then they were momentarily spread out quite flat 

 so as to make a beautiful plane star, the tips forming 

 a regular circle. I could now distinctly see the intes- 

 tinal tube, which is inserted into the stomach low 

 down in the body, and proceeds nearly parallel with 

 it to the aperture. The body of the polype is con- 



