594 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [92] 



the bladders often shrink away and leave the encrusting Bryozoa in the 

 form of very elegant hollow balls. Among the Hydroids the most abun- 

 dant are Ohelia geniculata and several small species of Aglaophenia. 



The jelly fishes are very abundant and very interesting in the Gulf 

 Stream water. Among the most common and conspicuous is the " Por- 

 tuguese man-of-war" {Physalia arethusa), remarkable for its curious form 

 and habits, as well as for its brilliant blue and crimson colors and its 

 virulent stinging powers. Eelated to this, and not less beautiful, is the 

 Forpita Linnceana, which has a very beautiful, circular, radiated, pinkish 

 floating disk, bordered with bright blue, while the delicate zooidshang- 

 ing from its lower surface form an elegant blue and green fringe around it. 

 This has been taken several times, but the best lot was obtained at 

 station 2039. Specimens of the allied form (Velella mutica), which is 

 beautifully varied with blue, green, and pink, and has a thin obloujj; 

 disk, with an oblique, diagonal crest or sail, were taken, but they were 

 not full grown. Several other species of Siphonophores were obtained, 

 among which were Gleba hippopus and a species of Cuboides. Of the 

 m! dusffi, Pelagia cyanella, Stomolophus meleagris, Periphylla, hyacinthina, 

 Tracliynema digitale, Calycopsis typa Fewkes, and a large species of 

 Zygodactyla were among the most prominent. 



A large and conspicuous medusa, with distant, stout, and rather stiff'- 

 looking tentacle^, and broad, deep marginal lobes, was taken in several 

 localities. (Stations 2034, 2037, 2039, 2040, 2045, 2079, 2104.) It 

 grows to be over 6 inches in diameter, and the stomach and genital 

 organs have a deep purplish brown color when recently placed in al- 

 cohol, but its color in life was not noted. Mr. Fewkes considers this a 

 new species of the rare genus, Atolla {A. Verrillii). The specimens 

 of Stomoloplnis meleagris were large and handsome. According to the 

 observations of Mr. William Nye, jr., on the " Albatross," the diskin this 

 species contracted, when first taken, 102 times per minute. It was 

 taken near stations 2085 and 2088, 



Among, the most abundant and characteristic of the forms of pelagic 

 life are the curious, transparent-finned worms belonging to the geniis 

 Sagitta (figs. 196, a). These have a well-marked head with two eyes, and 

 with broad groups of sharp, curved spinas on each side of the head, while 

 there is a well-developed caudal fin, like that of a fish in form, and other 

 fins on the sides of the body. They swim through the water with great 

 rapidity and are so transparent that they are not easily seen. They are 

 usually taken in large numbers in our surface nets, of all sizes, from a 

 small fraction of an inch up to 2 or 3 inches in length. Probably there are 

 several species among them. They are equally abundant in the trawl- 

 wings from all depths, and among those that have been taken only in 

 the trawl-wings there is one large species, nearly 3 inches long, which 

 is deep salmon or orange in color, while the surface species are colorless. 



A very diflerent but equally transparent worm [Tomopteris) is also 

 frequently taken. In this genus there are bilobed swimming-feet along 



