Oh. XXI.] CHAINED SALP^. 371 



mentioned, viz., with a fish-like profile, the opening being 

 produced, not by the movement of both lips, but by a 

 moveable flap of the lower or inner enclosed Hp, which alone 

 acted. They moved slowly by a rotatory motion, but ap- 

 peared also capable of projecting themselves along. All 

 these gelatinous animals, although themselves transparent, 

 when seen from above had a delicate green tint, and when 

 deep down, this green tiat became so intensified that they 

 appeared absolutely luminous. But they were none of them 

 luminous in the dark, as I satisfied myself. 



For eleven days we passed through shoals of these com- 

 pound Salpse, during the greater part of which time it was 

 perfectly cahn weather. I did, however, see them beneath 

 the waves, when a stiff breeze had raised a considerable 

 amount of commotion in the sea. During these eleven days 

 we had passed from lat. 30 J° N. to lat. 41 1°, that is over eleven 

 degrees of latitude, or nearly 800 mUes, during the greater 

 part of which they were thickly abundant. Nor were they 

 alone, but were associated with numerous oceanic Hydrozoa 

 of several species, some of Avhich I have already alluded to 

 as of new and strange fonns, but which unfortmiately could 

 not always be captured from a moving vessel. 



While watching these animals, I one day saw two mag- 

 nificent objects, which I took to be clusters of chained 

 Salpse, and which were truly wonders of the deep. One of 

 these consisted of five or six large Salpa-like bodies, forming 

 an oblique line, each one of a bright and delicate green 

 coloui', and with a large rich ruby spot which shone in the 

 water Hlce carbuncles. The other was a long convoluted 

 and delicate chain, which might be compared to a necklace 

 of diamonds set with brilliant rubies, the whole waving 

 gracefully in the cm-rents of the water, just as though Venus 



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