58 SARSIA GEMMIFERA. 



lobed veil, festooning, as it were, the spaces between the ocellated tubercles. From each of 

 the latter arises a tentacle, rather short, thick, cylindrical, moniliformly granulated, and of an 

 orange colour. Each tentacle is placed opposite the point at which one of the four gastric 

 vessels joins the marginal one. From the centre of the sub-umbrella is suspended the 

 peduncle, perforating its summit, and terminating there in a small conical process of granular 

 tissue. The peduncle is shorter than the umbrella, but may be extended slightly beyond it. 

 It is slender, cylindrical, and tubular, but is capable of changing form greatly, and often 

 swells out into a club- or bottle-shaped extremity, ending in the mouth, which is round. The 

 peduncle is of an orange colour, like the tentacles, but much paler. 



The peduncle presented the appearance of being ramified, or rather pinnated, variously- 

 shaped processes projecting from the sides. When several individuals were compared, it was 

 found that these pinnations did not correspond, and a closer inquiry made it evident that they 

 were in reality young individuals, in various stages of development, budding from the pedun- 

 cular tissue. They are not distributed over its surface in any regular order according to their 

 degree of advancement, but intermingled, as may be seen in the much magnified representation 

 of the peduncle in an individual, different from that which is drawn entire. (See 2, e, and 

 compare it with 2, b.) At the same time there is an indistinct spiral arrangement to be 

 observed, and the peduncle has a tendency to assume angular bendings at the points from 

 which the buds spring. The earliest stages of one of these buds is that which I have 

 represented at 2, f, where the tissue of the surface of the peduncle simply bulges out as a 

 small wart, whilst there is a corresponding indentation in the tubular cavity beneath. This 

 indentation increases with the growth of the wart, which takes upon itself a club shape, and, 

 at the same time, there is a notch-like appearance towards the base at the upper part of the 

 club (2, g). In a stage more advanced, the club begins to assume a globular form, and the 

 excavation, if anything, decreases, not projecting beyond the notch, but a new cavity has 

 appeared independently within the club, and has possibly been formed by the division of the 

 old cavity into two parts, and the isolation of its upper part (2, h). In the stage represented 

 at 2, i, the development has advanced rapidly ; the club begins to present a four-lobed aspect, 

 and the internal cavity has greatly enlarged. An assemblage of small dots, indicative of an 

 ocellus, appears opposite each lobe. After this it would appear, that correspondent with the 

 increase of the lobes, is the opening of the cavity and the formation of a peduncle ; for, in the 

 highest condition of these gemmse which I have had an opportunity of examining, the bud 

 presents the appearance of a little bell (3, k), open, and having a rudimentary proboscis 

 within it ; the lobes are much more elongated, and at their bases are seen not only the little 

 ocelli present in the last stage described, but others below them of a jet-black colour. It is 

 evident that the former are the orange portions of the tentacular bulbs, and the latter, the 

 black ocelU beneath them, whilst the lobes, which have already become of a conspicuous 

 orange colour (as well as the peduncle), are the tentacles in course of development. The 

 four gastric vessels are also now manifest, so that we have a young Sarsia nearly ready to 

 drop from its parent, and shift for itself. 



Plate VII, fig. 2, a, represents this interesting animal of the natural size ; 2, b, the same, 

 magnified ; 2, c, the summit of the peduncle ; 2, d, a. tentacular bulb with its oceHi ; 2, e, the 

 peduncle of another individual, with its bulbs ; and 2,/ to 2, h, the various stages of develop- 

 ment of the buds as just described. 



