BAHAMA MEDUSA. 27 



Aegina rhodina, HAErKEL. 

 Figs. 28, 28a, 29, Plate IV. 



Haeokel, E. 1879 ; Das Syst. der Medusen, p. 338, Taf. XX., Figs. 11-15. 



Bell of mature medusa 40-50 mm. wide. Of the specimen figured by us, 

 7 mm. Sides of bell sloping ; apex rounded. There are four tentacles each 

 about as long as the bell-diameter, their entodermal cells are disk-like, and a 

 single row of nematocysts extends down their outer sides (see Fig. 29). 

 These tentacles arise from the sides of the bell half-way between the margin 

 and apex. There are twelve sense organs upon the bell-margin, each contain- 

 ing two crystalline otoliths (Fig. 28a). The velum is well developed. The 

 gastric portion of the manubrium surrounds a conical mass of gelatinous 

 substance which projects from the inner apex of the bell cavity and occupies 

 the centre of the stomach. The mouth is a simple round opening. There are 

 eight genital pouches, two in each quadrant. Their outer edges are quad- 

 ratic, and they are separated by a very small space. The genital organs 

 and tentacles are delicate pink, while the gastric part of the manubrium is 

 intense green. A single immature specimen was found at Mastic Point, 

 Andros Island, Bahamas, in a surface tow on June 20, 1903. Haeckel found 

 three specimens in the Canary Islands in January, 1867. 



Haeckel's description accords with ours, excepting that he finds sixteen 

 instead of twelve marginal sense organs; and he states that the stomach is 

 pale reddish instead of intense green as observed by us. 



Cunoctantlia, sp. 



Figs. S6-Jf2, Plate IV. 



A budding nurse, or stolon, of Cunoctantha was found floating freely in 

 the water at the Tortugas, Florida, in July. Only one end of this stolon was 

 perfect, the other extremity being in a state of advanced disintegration so 

 that its form was indeterminate. It was, therefore, somewhat remarkable 

 that the budding end of the stolon was apparently in a perfect healthy con- 

 dition and survived for a whole day in the aquariiim, giving rise to medusae 

 in considerable numbers. It is possible that the disintegrated end of the 

 stolon was being absorbed to provide nutriment for the budding end, but 

 this is a mere conjecture. 



Figs. 37-41 represent successive stages in the formation of the medusa- 

 buds. The bud is at first pyriform, and then its base becomes surrounded by 

 a collar destined to form the medusa-bell. The eight tentacles and eight 



