PHYSOUVHORID A, I51 
dantly proved by many naturalists, myself among the number, and 
Mr. Bennet to his cost, as already narrated. We can only suppose 
that the injection of the poison is under the control of the Physalia’s 
ee and the impunity of the bold little fishes is sufficiently accounted 
or.” 
Among the numerous specimens of the Physalia captured on our 
coast, one was obtained at Tenby, by Mr. Hughes, who has given a 
report of the capture, in which he mentions a circumstance as 
“normal,” which excited Mr. Gosse’s curiosity; it was said to be 
accompanied by “‘its attendant satellites, two Vedella.” In reply to 
his inquiries, Mr. Hughes says, “‘ My authority for the association of 
the Velella with Physalia is Jenkins, the collector of Tenby, who was 
attending me when it was found. The Physalia was taken by me 
first ; and, while I was admiring it, I noticed that Jenkins continued 
his search for something. Immediately afterwards he came up with 
the Velella in his hand, at the same time stating they were generally 
found with the Portuguese man-of-war. As I had found him very 
honest and truthful in his dealings with me, I accepted his information 
as correct.” : 
The Velellinze assemble together in great shoals ; in tropical seas 
and even in the Mediterranean, and on the western shores of 
Ireland they may be seen in fine weather floating on the surface of 
the waves. As described by De Blainville, the body of Véeella 
Spirans is oval or circular, and gelatinous, sustained in the interior of 
the dorsal disc by a solid sub-cartilaginous frame,. provided on the 
lower surface of the disk with extensible tentacular cirri. The 
family includes but two genera; namely, Porpita and Velella, which 
the reader will most readily comprehend from the brief description 
which we shall give of the Mediterranean Velella (V. spzrans, 
Fig. 50), which has been very minutely examined by M: Charles 
Vogt, of Geneva, from whose work on the ‘Inferior Animals of the 
Mediterranean” our details are borrowed. V. sfirans, sometimes 
called V. imbosa, was discovered in the Mediterranean, between 
Monaco and Mentone, by Forskal, who most erroneously took it for 
an Holothurion. On the upper surface of the animal is a hydrostatic 
apparatus, the object of which is to enable it to maintain its 
equilibrium in the water. This apparatus consists of a shield and a 
crest, organs of which M. Vogt gives a very detailed description ; but 
it is on the under surface that the principal organs of the Velella are 
exhibited. These are not seen when the animal swims, because 
under such circumstances the vertical oblique crest only is visible. 
The lower surface is concave, with a sort of mesial nucleus, presenting 
