822 MOLLUSK TADPOLE. 



white foam from the dark purple rock, and the rush- 

 ing sound of the explosion, all add to the effect. 



The ragged rock-pools that lie in the deep shadow 

 of the precipice on this area are tenanted with many 

 fine kinds of abjie, zoophytes, Crustacea and medusae. 

 In one of these I took with a ring-net about the end 

 of August, when fishing for medtfsce, what seems fi-om 

 its resemblance to published figures to be the tadpole 

 of Amaroucium proliferum, one of the aggregated 

 Tunicata. Its resemblance to the tadpole of a frog 

 is curiously close, though its total length, including 

 the tai], is not more than y^th of an inch. It consists 

 of an oblong oval body of a pellucid yellow tinge, 

 with a central nucleus of rich vermillion, deepest in 

 the centre, which sends off some indistinct branching 

 vessels towards the front part, and is continued pos- 

 teriorly all through the tail, nearly to its extremity. 



The activity of this tiny creature is remarkable ; 

 its motions are like those of a fish, executed by the 

 vibration of the long flat tail from side to side. By 

 this means it scuttles along through the water with 

 great rapidity, in a tremulous manner. Its beautiful 

 colour makes it conspicuous in a glass of clear water, 

 notwithstanding its minuteness ; it looks like a bril- 

 liant little ruby. Yet it is as evanescent as beautiful ; 

 a very brief confinement p^its a period to its existence. 



BARRICANE. 



A few weeks after my former disappointment, I 

 again set out for Barricane. It is one of the places 

 in this neighbourhood invariably mentioned as nota- 



