702 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



wait for prey, generally a Copepod. Directly a Copepod is 

 caught by a tentacle the Medusa starts swimming, and with, 

 great skill conveys the unfortunate Copepod into its mouth. 



In the sea the Medusa probably lives amongst sea- weed. I 

 have never taken a specimen in a tow-net, but Mr. Vallentin 

 has seen a few specimens swimming at the siu-face of the sea in 

 Falmouth Harbour. 



There are very few records either for the Hydroid or its 

 fi'ee-swimming Medusa. It has been found on the coast of 

 Belgium ; at St. Malo, ia Trance ; Messina ; and in England, 

 on the coasts of Kent, Devon, and Cornwall. 



Clavatella prolifera, Huicks. 



Clavatella prolifera, Hracks, 1868, p. 73, pi. xii ; Allman, 1872, 

 p. 384, pi. xviii. 



In April, 1895, Mr. Gamble found several specimens of the 

 Medusa crawling over seaweeds taken fi'om a rock pool, near 

 high tide-mark. The specimens were of a brilliant orange 

 colour. 



In September, 1896, the Misses Delap also found a few speci- 

 mens on seaweeds from a rock pool. 



The Hydroid form has not yet been found in the harboiu\ 

 but it is very minute, and scarcely visible to the naked 

 eye. 



Corymorpha nutans, Sars. 



Corymorpha nutans, Allman, 1872, p. 388, pi. xix. ; Browne, 1896, 

 P.Z. S., p. 463, plxvi. 



Steenstrupia rubra etjlaveola, Forbes, 1848, p. 73, pi. xiii. 



Steenstrupia galanthus, Haeckel, 1879. 



In 1895-98, the Medusa oceui'red in vast quantities. It 

 appears about the end of March, or early in April, reaches 

 maturity early in May, and disappears during the summer. It 

 becomes veiy abundant towards the end of April, and dies off 

 rapidly in June ; stray specimens may be taken in July and 

 August, and probably come fi'om Medusa-buds which have 

 developed unusually late in the spring. A young specimen 

 was taken on July 27th, 1896; it measured about li-mm. in 

 length. 



The Medusae on liberation fi'om the Hydi'oid are about 1 mm. 

 in length and width ; they gi'ow to about 5 mm. in length, and 



