SKA-SllOHK LIFE 



finger of a glovG. If tlie tentacles come in contact witli a small 

 fish or crustacean tlu^se little stinging-threads are instantly dis- 

 charged, and on a<'count of tlieir iiiiniitc size they penetrate (ho 

 skin of the prey carrying witli tliem a poison, believetl to be formic 

 acid, which (juickly paraly/cs the victim. Scattered ])et\ve(^n tlie 

 tentacles there an^ lunnei'Diis little halanciiig organs, wliich may 



also serve to det(!et 

 vi hrations in (,lie 

 water. Thcwe oi'gans 

 consist of mijiiiti! 

 capsules each con- 

 tainingaliard spher- 

 ical concretion. The 

 stoniach of the me- 

 dusa is a roiii--sidcd 

 tuhe at (,h(! ccnli-e 

 of the concavity of 

 the hell. 



l''oin' canals ra- 



diat(.' oulward from 



this stomach and cx- 



lend 00° a|)art, to a 



k J^T^^Bi ' ^^V^^^^^^^^^^LjtfUfl vessel whiidi enctii'- 



^ .^i^H^^Hnl:^^i.^^^^^^HBbi^HMB margin 



at the bases of the 

 tentacles. The geni- 

 tal organs are devel- 

 oped upon these ra- 

 dial canals. They 

 are ribbon-like, hut each ribbon is longer than the portion of the 

 canal npon whi(;h it is developed, and its edge is therefore IVjlded 

 sinuously from side to side. 



The stomach, genital organs and tentacles are rich brown in 

 color with green spots, while the other parts of the jellyfish are 

 transparent and gelatinous. 



According to Perkins, the jellyfish is very active upon cloudy 

 days, when it swims rapidly upward to the surface, opening and 

 closing its undjrella-liko bell with powerful pulsations. Upon 



Hg. 



l'AMSION-KI,ii\\'i;ii nvi)]10ll) (Vn,m\A\i-). 

 AiiiiisqLiiun, Mass, 



