Oh. IV.] NEW POEM OF HYALiEA. 57 



taken, the keeled lower angles of the globular shell showed 

 nothing worthy of remark, the appendages were small and 

 contracted ; but gradually they became spread out to their 

 full size, and became large, oval, semi-transpai-ent leaves of 

 a light green colour, exceeding in length aU the rest of the 

 body, now hanging straight down, and now more div.ergent. 

 The animal could contract them at pleasure, and in a mo- 

 ment spread them out as before. The shell itself was tinted 

 with rich brown ; and it appeared to have three pairs of fins, 

 the largest and uppermost brown, a smaller pair of a reddish 

 tinge, and a third pair transparent and projecting somewhat 

 backward over the convex side of the shell. The edges of 

 the wings (or fins) and the points of union of the green leaf- 

 like expansions to the other parts of the body, were of so 

 delicate a structure as to be invisible, except on close and 

 careful inspection. This animal swam rapidly in a hori- 

 zontal direction, and kept itself floating on the surface of 

 the water by a butterfly-like movement of the fins ; but 

 when at rest, it kept them folded over the convex side of the 

 sheU. 



The whole west coast of Formosa, between Ta-kau in the 

 south-west and Tam-suy in the north, is very flat, consisting 

 for the most part of low alluvial plains, with no conspicuous 

 elevations. The mountain range which culminates in Mount 

 Morrison, and renders the east coast harbourless by its near 

 approach to the sea, nowhere comes near the western side. 

 As we advance northward from Apes' HiU, the coast becomes 

 low and level ; little flat islets appear at intervals, which are 

 seen to be connected by sand-banks on a nearer approach. 

 The capital, Tai-wan-fu, not many miles above Ta-kau, is 

 invisible from the sea, being situated some two or three 

 miles up a muddy river : at its port, however, 16 large junks 



