22 TURRIS DIGITALIS, 



intus hamatis flavis cum albis mixtis. In cavitate infera, quae profunda, pistillum apice, ut 

 videtur penicillato dependet, in aliis album, in aliis penicillo flavo. Habitat in mari ad oras 

 exteriores. Est vivida satis ; margine flexo in aqua salit." 



This account of its characters and habit seems to have furnished all subsequent authors 

 with the brief notices which they give of the species, indeed it is doubtful whether it has 

 been examined by any since the days of the author of the 'Fauna Groenlandica.' Miiller probably 

 intended to give a representation of it in his invaluable ' Fauna Danica,' but, as it is, we have 

 no figure extant. 



When enjoying a dehghtful cruise with my friend Mr. Smith, of Jordanhill, in his yacht 

 the Amethyst, during the summer of 1839, I paid particular attention to the' Medusae of the 

 Clyde, and laid the foundation of the present monograph. Not so well versed then, as now, 

 in the art of securing these fragile and floating creatures, it was a source of not unfrequent 

 vexation to behold many of them, either apparently new or doubtful, pass by our vessel beyond 

 our reach, or when we endeavoured to secure them, sinking slowly in the sea depths. Among 

 those which we failed altogether in catching, was one of considerable size — three inches or so 

 in length — and conspicuously distinguished from all others of my acquaintance by its singular 

 cylindrical umbrella, and the dense, brilliantly-coloured nucleus. A rude and rapid memo- 

 randum of its aspect in the water, as seen over the vessel's side, was all the record which we 

 could bring away. 



In the autumn of 1 845, when on a voyage of research with Mr. M'Andrew, in his yacht 

 the Osprey, we procured numerous Medusae in the sound of Brassay, among the Zetland Isles. 

 It was with no small pleasure that, on emptying the tow-net one morning in August, I 

 found in it what at first glance appeared to be a floating Actinea, but which, on closer 

 examination, was evidently identical Avith the creature I had seen in the Frith of Clyde six 

 years before, and which I had often anxiously looked for since, but in vain. A further 

 inspection, and a comparison of it with published descriptions, soon convinced me that we 

 had secured the finger-shaped Medusa, so pithily described by Otho Fabricius. 



The umbrella is sub-cylindrical and mitrate, swelling gently into a bell-shape in the 

 centre, somewhat apiculated at the apex. Its substance is highly transparent and colourless, 

 but firm. Its margin is fringed by fifty or more long annulated, and as if granulated, ten- 

 tacula, which are white, with orange bases, and when contracted, are curled or rather hooked 

 at their extremities. The bases of the marginal tentacles are covered by an external veil-like 

 prolongation of the margins. The sub-umbrella occupies slightly more than two thirds of 

 the length of the body, and is cylindrical in form. Along its sides are seen to run eight 

 conspicuous longitudinal bands of muscular tissue, which have a furbelowed appearance in 

 consequence of habitually contracting at fixed intervals. The substance of these bands is 

 composed of distinct fibres. From the centre of the sub -umbrella depends a capacious and 

 cylindrical peduncle, the whole of whose interior is occupied by the stomach and ovaries, or 

 reproductive glands. The latter bodies consist of four quadrate groups of fohated and convo- 

 luted masses, of a bright reddish-brown or brownish-red hue, arranged in the course of four 

 simple gastric vessels. Each of these masses consists of a double series of fimbriated organs, each 

 series being placed on one side of a vessel. Below the ovaries the peduncle contracts, though 

 not greatly, and expands again to form the much divided fimbriated lips, which fringe and border 

 the wide oral orifice, and which are parted into four somewhat indistinct lobes. The lips are 



