144 THE OCEAN WORLD. 
returned to the house, where two hours of repose relieved the pain, 
which disappeared altogether during the night.” 
Mr. Bennett, who accompanied the exploring expedition under 
Admiral Fitzroy, as naturalist, ventured to test the powers of the 
Physalia. “On one occasion,” he says, “I tried the experiment of 
its stinging powers upon myself, intentionally. When I seized it by 
the bladder portion, it raised the long cables by muscular contraction 
of the bands situated at the base of the feelers, and, entwining the 
slender appendages about my hand and finger, inflicting severe and 
peculiarly pungent pain, it adhered most tenaciously at the same time, 
so as to be extremely difficult of removal. The stinging continued 
during the whole time that the minutest portion of the tentacula 
remained adherent to the skin. I soon found that the effects were 
not confined to the acute pungency inflicted, but produced a great 
degree of constitutional irritation : the pain extended upwards along 
the arm, increasing not only in extent but in severity, apparently 
‘acting along the course of the absorbents, and could only be compared 
toasevere rheumatic attack. The pulse was accelerated, and a feverish 
state of the whole system produced : the muscles of the chest, even, 
were affected ; the same distressing pain being felt on taking a full 
respiration as obtains in a case of acute rheumatism. The secondary 
effects were very severe, continuing for nearly three-quarters of an 
hour ; the duration being probably longer in consequence of the time 
and delay occasioned by removing the tentacula from the skin, to 
which they adhered, by the aid of the stinging capsules, with an 
annoying degree of tenacity. On the whole being removed, the pain 
began to abate; but during the day a peculiar numbness was felt, 
accompanied by an increased temperature in the limb on which the 
sting had been inflicted. For some hours afterwards the skin dis- 
played white elevations, or weals, on the parts stung, similar to those 
resulting from the poison of the stinging nettle. The intensity ot 
the pain depends in some degree upon the size and consequent power 
of the creature. After it has been removed from the water for some 
time, the stinging property, although still continuing to act, is found 
to have perceptibly diminished. I have observed, also, that this irri- 
tative power is retained for some weeks after the death of the animal 
in the vesicles of the cables, and even linen cloth which has been 
used for wiping off the adhering tentacles, when touched, still retained 
the pungency, although it had not the power of producing such violent 
constitutional irritation.” 
“The sea-bladder,” says Father Feuillée, “occasions me, on 
touching it, a sudden and severe pain, accompanied with convulsions.” 
