88 Dr. Dekay on the Pennatule Fleche. 
Thus we have seen, this animal has been first ranked as a 
Lernea, a parasite, then considered as a pennatule or po- 
lype, afterwards placed in the genus Calygus as a crusta- 
ceous animal, and finally, it has been decided that it shall oc- 
cupy a new genus as an Annelide. So much difficulty with 
respect to its proper place, clearly proves that with the ex- 
ception of Pallas and Esper, they are completely ignorant 
of the animal under consideration. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Body one inch in length, coriaceous, cylindrical, of a 
purple color and inserted { of its length, underneath the 
skin of the fish to which it was attached, all the part be- 
neath the skin white, mouth terminal, irregular, present- 
ing a granulated appearance, with several minute holes. 
Plumule on each side, nearly equal in length, and six- 
teen or seventeen in number on each side—cylindrical, their 
free extremities bulbous, in which a black speck was just 
visible under the microscope, The Plumule commence about 
2 of the distance from the mouth and terminate one 16th of an 
inch from the extremity, which isrounded. The teguments 
consist of two membranes, the outer thick, purple and co- 
riaceous ; the inner pale and delicate. I observed nothing 
internally except some whitish fibres, running in a longitu- 
dinal direction and converging towards the upper extremity ; 
neither stomach nor ovary was apparent. From these few, 
and I am sensible imperfect observations, we may be satis- 
fied that it does not belong to any genus as yet established. 
Since De La Marck commenced his “ Animaux sans verte- 
bres,” Savigny has presented to the Institute a memoir 
upon a new class of polypi, among which our animal must 
finally be placed. De La Marck has embodied these under 
the order of Polypes tubiferes, containing four genera. The 
animal under consideration belongs to this order ; but a 
more accurate examination of its anatomical structure is ne- 
cessary before we can decide upon its place among the 
genera. In the mean time, the following may serve for its 
specific character. ‘ Stirpe coriaceo cylindrico inferne 
nudo, superne pinnato ; pinnis distichis, extremitatibus 
crassioribus.” 
