100 EAMBLES OF A NATUEALIST. [Ch. VI. 



and (sarved masses of soKd jelly, either' perfectly trans- 

 parent, or tinged with pink. They would bear being taken 

 up carefully in a hand-net, and placed in a basin of sea 

 water, but when there, they became absolutely invisible from 

 their delicacy and transparency. When touched they would 

 break asunder into transparent, gelatinous, star-like bodies ; 

 so that I was in despair at getting even a sketch of their 

 complicated forms, for they soon melted away into shapeless 

 masses. I endeavoured to preserve some in various sub- 

 stances, but without success, for they immediately fell to 

 pieces and dissolved. 



These bodies were solid to the touch, about three inches 

 long, and appeared to be formed by the union of gelatinous 

 bodies (swimming bells) of very complex form, and dissimilar 

 at different parts of their length, so that the diameter of one- 

 third was greater than that of the other two-thirds. I was 

 much disappointed at my unsuccessful attempts to keep some 

 record of them ; but their invisibility, their fragility, and the 

 approach of darkness, rendered all my attempts futile, and 

 although I might have succeeded better if I had had another 

 opportunity, I never saw anything like them on any subse- 

 quent occasion. 



But the circumstance to be especially remarked is, that 

 during all the time these curious animals were floating by, 

 it was raining pretty hard — a condition which, a priori, 

 might be supposed to have been most unfavourable for them; 

 for the destructive character of fresh water to delicate marine 

 animals is weU known. Whence, too, could they have come 

 in such profusion ? And if the surface of the sea is their 

 natural habitat, why are they not more frequently seen ? 



