184 MESSRS. L. MURBACH AND €. SHEAKEE ON [June 10, 



the tentacles there is a little nodule, the glandular sucker. There 

 appears to be a otocyst between each pair of tentacles. The 

 stomach appears quadrate, but is attached only along the lines of 

 the radial canals. The proboscis is of moderate length, bringing 

 the fringed manvibrium near the velum. The four radial canals 

 pass to the highest point in the bell and then dip under the conical 

 depression above mentioned. The gonads are a very closely folded 

 band hanging from the radial canals, their free border being longer 

 than the attached border ; they are throAvn into folds (sinusoidally) 

 backwaixls and forwards across the radial canals, like a ruffle or 

 frill *. 



Colour, — Gonads deep red, the radial canals as deep brownish 

 lines ; bell yellowish green. 



Habitat. — Gulf of Georgia, collected by Agassiz ; Victoria 

 Harbour, collected by Shearer ; Matsmets Bay and Puget Sound, 

 collected by Kincaid. 



Discussion. — This is the first notice of this Medusa since its 

 discovery by A. Agassiz in the waters of Puget Sound some 

 forty-three years ago. They were found swimming vigorously in 

 groups of threes and fours in the outer part of Victoria Harbour 

 at McCauley's Point, July 14, 1900. It is hard to convey an 

 idea of the remai'kable beauty of this animal as it swims with its 

 dark crimson gonads and dense mass of tentacles thrashing the 

 water at every contraction of the bell. Agassiz (2) also states 

 that he never found them swimming singly, but always in numbers. 

 He says : — " It at once attracted my attention by its peculiar mode 

 of moving. I could see these jelly-fishes, with the tentacles 

 spread out to the fullest extent, sinking slowly to the bottom, the 

 disk turned doAvnward ; the moment a blade of kelp touches the 

 disk, they stop, bend their tentacles like knees, and remain attached 

 to the sea-weed by means of their lasso-cells, which are arranged 

 in rings scattered thickly over the surface of the tentacles ; after 

 remaining attached in this way a moment, with their tentacles 

 extended and mouth turned upwards, they suddenly let go their 

 hold, turn upside down, contract their tentacles to a third of their 

 former length, and begin their upward movement by means of 

 short, rapid jerks, given by the sudden expanding and contracting 

 of the tentacles as they are violently thrown out from the cavity 

 covered by the veil. They keep up this rapid motion until they 

 reach the sui'face of the water ; at the instant the upper part of 

 the disk touches the top of the water, the Medusa inverts itself, 



* Haeckel (18) understood this condition to represent lateral diverticula in the 

 radial canals something like those of Poli/orcMs. For this reason he has placed it 

 near FolyorcMs under the Cannotidae, whereas its true relationship seems to be under 

 the Trachomedusaj, as we have arranged it above, and not under the Leptomedusse, 

 although It has undoubted characters of this class. It would seem to be similar to 

 Medusffi, like Laodice, which do not find a natural place under any of Haeckel's four 

 orders. For Brooks (7) has shown that Laodice possesses the true endodermal sense- 

 clubs oi the Trachylinoe, despite the many features that rank it with tlic Leijtomedusre 

 under the LeptoUnes. 



